Light after Dark
by SkellingtonZero
Summary: A sequal/continuation of Angel from the Dark. The first couple months after loosing her memory, Sakura seemed completly normal. Then she showed signs of the unthinkable. Can love cross all boundries or does fate have something else in mind. -L
1. Chapter 1

Greetings this is L.

This is a sequel to _Angel from the Dark_.

_Light after Dark _is not a copy or inspired off of anyone else's story.

For those interested in being updated on this story as well as others such as sneak peaks, sequels, prequels and one shots please check out the link provided in my profile.

I do not own any of the characters, merchandise, music, manga, anime, or brands mentioned in this story.

This was created in my own insane mind. This is not a copy or by-product of anyone else's story.

Light after Dark

Chapter 1

It was a cool spring night, the air was sweet with blooming flowers, the town was asleep, and the moon and stars were shinning bright above. Outside a young man with spiky blonde hair sat atop the roof of the kindergarten staring up at the sparkling night sky above him. It was a full moon and the sky was filled with bright, shinning stars and beautiful light clouds. The young man smiled a small smile as he gazed up, his long fingers playing with the edges of his cell phone. 'It's Thursday…' His tired eyes slid close as the early spring wind blew though his light black jacket and into his bones. 'We should do something fun…' He breathed deeply as his body began to feel the ache of the day's work . 'A mini vacation is just what we all need. Even Sasuke might enjoy it…'

An evil grin found its way onto his tanned face as he unlocked his touch screen phone and scrolled down the list of contacts. 'I'm sure Sasuke would love to help out.' He thought as he carefully stood up and fixed his jeans then walked to the edge to jump off and land safely on the ground. 'After all, it has been awhile since we all hung out together…'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young man with midnight blue hair laid slumbering in his bed as the cool moonlight filtered in through the drawn shades. His face was completely relaxed as he slept, his arms clutching a pillow with his pale face buried in the fluffy pillow. He was lost in his dreams, completely at ease; until his cell phone went off and jerked him awake.

Groggily he woke up, glaring into the darkness that shrouded his room as his arm crept out from under the blankets to grope blindly on his bedside table. 'This better be an emergency…' He sniffed as he clicked the answer key and held the phone up to his ear.

"Who are you and what do you want?" He mumbled sleepily as his eyes slid close.

"_Heyyyy did I wake you?"_ A deep raspy voice responded.

"Naruto?"

"_Hey Sasuke." _

Sasuke sighed and slowly sat up on his elbows and glared at the glowing clock numbers by his beside. "You idiot, it's almost one in the morning. Why the hell are you calling me?" He mumbled around a yawn. 'Why do I even known this retard?'

"_Nice to talk to you to-so listen I'm thinking of throwing a beach party later."_

"Hn." The midnight blue haired male sat back in bed. 'Like I really give a shit."

"_Thing is I have to work. So I was thinking that maybe you-"_

Click.

Sasuke shook his head and tossed his phone to the ground. 'Stupid idiot. Woke me up for nothing…' He sighed as he reclined his tired body back down into the cool bed sheets.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Inside a charming house slept a young woman with long pink hair splayed out on the many pillows surrounding her slight frame. Her vibrant green eyes were closed peacefully, her plump, pink lips was slightly opened as she drew in the night air, and her long, elegant fingers worked at the edge of the blanket dancing under her chin.

_A young man with messy red head sat under a tree, his back facing her as his hands eagerly worked on something she couldn't see. _

"_Hello?" Her gentle voice was lost in the sudden wind that shook the tree, making its branches shake and its leaves scatter about. _

"_Sir?" She tried again. This time the young man sat up, back ridged but he did not turn around to face her. "Can you hear me? Sir?" _

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

In the living room sat a man with spiky silver hair wearing a baggy dark blue long sleeve paired with blue and white plaid bedroom pants. He sat on the loveseat nursing a mug of coffee as he watched mindless cartoons on the television. Beside him his cell phone began to ring, the sound traveling throughout the large house and rebounding off the walls.

He sighed a tired sigh and fumbled blindly on the side table until his calloused fingers brushed the edge of the little communication devise. "Hello?" He mumbled into the receiver.

"_Hey Kaka-Sempai."_

"What do you want Naruto?" His tired eyes slid close.

"_Well how-dee-do to you too."_

Kakashi mentally sighed and ran his fingers through his messy locks. "Hello Naruto, how are you doing? I'm fine, Sakura's sleeping-much like you should be doing as well-can I take a message?"

"_Kaka-Sempai, I called on your phone to talk to you, not Saku. But I'm doing great! I did call however to invite you and Saku out tomorrow."_

That caught the spiky silver hairs interest. "Saturday?"

"_No Friday! Tomorrow's Friday."_

"No, tomorrow's Saturday Naruto. Today's Friday." Kakashi raised a slender brow in confusion.

"_Huh? Oh right, haha I called at one am didn't I?"_

"Yeah. So where are you inviting us out to?"

"_This amazing beach party I'm throwing." _

"…You do realize you are a teacher right? And that there is school tomorrow?"

A low sigh was heard before he answered_. "I know Sempai I know. Since Sasuke does nothing for a living He's going to do the preparations throughout the day and then I'll head over when I'm done. I'm cooking anyways."_

Kakashi nodded and fiddled with his favorite Icha Icha Paradise book resting in his lap. "And this is why Sasuke loves you Naruto." He mumbled sarcastically.

"_Hnnnn…so you'll come right? With Saku? Come on you have to its been forever since we all hung out and it'll be fun! A weekend at the beach-what more could you want?" _He ignored the passing comment.

The silver haired male worked his jaw for a moment before shrugging. "Sure. Why not." 'What could possibly go wrong?'

Shuffling was heard on the other end of the line before he responded. _"Great! You know the address to my beach house?"_

"The one you bought? Or the rental?" Kakashi asked as he stood up and trudged to the kitchen, clicking on lights as he went.

"Mine."

"Alright. Send it to me. I've only been there once and I'll be with Sakura." He leaned his lean hips against the counter.

"Alright I'll text you the address later then."

"Later? Why not now?"

"Cause I'm currently walking home."

"…Are you okay? Do you want to-"

"I'm fine Sempai, I was just at the kindergarten is all."

"Oh."

"So see you two tonight at seven."

"Yup." Kakashi sighed then clicked off his phone and tossed it on the counter and opened the refrigerator. 'Now where's that left over Ramen?'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

The young, grouchy, midnight blue haired male awoke to the sounds of someone angrily pounding on his front door. 'Hnn…the hell?' He groaned as he rolled onto his back, slowly waking up. 'What the hell's that noise?'

"Sasuke wake up!" He heard a familiar voice echoed through his house and into his room.

Onyx eyes stared emotionlessly at his closed bedroom door. '…'

"Sasuke!"

The midnight blue haired male shrugged and closed his eyes and sunk back down in bed and pulled the blanket over his head. 'Maybe if I ignore him he'll go away.'

After a few moments of silence, a loud bang was heard followed by the crashing of a vase and a few choiced words.

"The fuck?" Sasuke bolted up and out of bed and ran out of his room and into the living room only to frown at the sight he saw.

There Naruto stood with the front door wide open in a mess of what use to be his front door. There was broken wood scattered everywhere along with a ripped bag of beer cans, snacks, bread and the glass from his now broken vase.

"Naruto?" He gritted. "How the hell did-"

The spiky blonde shrugged as he slowly stepped away from the mess, shaking his pants as he did to rid himself of the shattered glass. "You see, when you moved, I made a key of the front door, but then I lost it so I had to pick the lock which didn't go so well cause you had a deadbolt."

"…You broke through the deadbolt?" Sasuke sweat dropped at the blonde then craned his neck to see the gaping hold that was now his front doorway.

Baby blue eyes glanced down at the mess he created then awkwardly laughed. "Yeah…I'll uh..pay for that…"

"Hell yeah you will. Idiot." Sasuke closed his eyes and massaged his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. 'You broke into my house!'

Naruto grinned, shook the dust off his shoes then made his way over to the black leather couch in the living room. "So why not make some tea and come sit with me?" He called from the living room.

"Stop acting so happy go lucky Naruto-it's annoying." Sasuke mumbled as he racked his fingers through his messy locks and trudged into the living room, trying to ignore the urge to shove his best friends face into the mess that was now in his doorway. "So why the hell are you here?" He growled as he took a seat.

Naruto pouted. "No tea?"

"Naruto."

"Coffee?"

"…"

"Beer?"

Onex eyes closed in frustration. 'You have to work with kids in two hours and your asking for beer?'

"Water?"

"Naruto! Why are you here? You have work. Go to it." He snarled, annoyed. "And buy me a new door."

The spiky blonde grinned and crossed one leg over the other. "I will I will!" He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm just here to make sure you don't get lost on your way to the beach house and give you the keys."

Awkward silence.

Naruto glanced at his friend to see him staring back at him. "Sasuke?"

"Why would I need directions to your beach house?"

"Cause you don't know where it is."

"But why the hell would I need it?"

"Because your going there today."

"No I'm not."

"Yes Sasuke. You are. Your setting up for the party later."

"Like hell I am." The onyx eyed male scowled and stood up. "I'm going to take a shower. You and the mess better be gone by the time I'm done." He snarled then left the room.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Baby blue eyes sparked mischievously as he leaned his ear against the bathroom door and waited until he heard the shower turn on. 'Alright! Time to find his keys…' He leaned away from the door and crept back down the corridor to the kitchen, his eyes immediately landing on the chaos he made. "Good thing I only brought out a few…" He mumbled then crouched down and began to pick up the scattered beer cans and snack bags.

After a few minutes he had gathered up all of the alcohol and snacks and had them neatly piled into two bags on the counter top. 'That was easy.' He then looked back down to see the broken glass and pieces of the door still askew. 'Damn…that's going to take awhile to fix…' Baby blue eyes glanced at the wall clock and groaned. 'Not enough time to do this and drive him! Shit!'

"Alright got to move fast." Naruto nodded to himself and grabbed the two bags off the counter and darted out the door. 'I'll just call Lee and have him clean it up and buy a replacement door…' He worked his jaw as he opened the trunk and tossed the bag in then pulled out his cell. 'Yeah, I'll do that then drive Sasuke to the beach house and be back in time to teach the little munchkins.'

Just then an anguished scream echoed out the front door and down to the spiky blonde's ears. "NARUTO YOU IDIOT! YOU LEFT THE BROKEN GLASS!"

"…Oops…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A young man with spiky midnight blue hair scowled down at the bags in his arms. 'Why me? What did I do to deserve this?' His dark eyes flashed at the orange Lamborghini Gallardo driving away from him; up the road and around the lush, green mountains. 'I hate you Naruto…making your plans then forcing me to do all the work…' He stared up at the bright, shinning sun above him. "Why does God hate me?" He mumbled then dropped the bags, letting them crash to the ground at his feet as he dug in his pant pocket for the keys.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Kakashi smiled as he pulled up into the already crowed driveway and shut off the engine and parked his silver Spyker C8 Spyder beside's Neji's black Maserati GranTurismo and Naruto's bright orange Lamborghini Gallardo. Off to the side sat Sasuke's dark blue Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, completely boxed in.

"Looks like Naruto forced him here." He stated as he pulled the key out of the ignition and unbuckled the seatbelt.

"Huh?" Sakura glanced up as she opened the door, one foot already out of the car.

"Sasuke." Kakashi nodded in the direction of the car as he walked around to help her out. "Naruto must have brought his car down and parked it on the side."

Emerald eyes glanced at the parked cars, taking not of the bright orange Lamborghini glistening then shrugged. "Really? How'd he do that when he had to drive his own? Hm?" She inquired, tugging down the bottom of her sailor suit that had ridden up. She wore a simple blue and white sailor dress suite; complete with the necktie and hat.

The silver haired male leaned behind her and shut the car door then adjusted the color on his open white button down then shrugged. "Knowing him he probably forced someone else to come along." He stated and too her small hand and placed it on his forearm. "Now come on, let's go inside and see who's here."

Together they walked down the path until the came to the deck. There they saw a young man with long brown hair leaning against the railing drinking a bottle of Corona, his back facing them.

"Hey Neji." Kakashi's deep voice startled the young man as he escorted Sakura up the stairs.

"Hey Kaka-Sempai." Neji greeted and nodded at Sakura, his pale eyes traveling down the length of her attire.

Silver hair swayed as he pulled out a rot iron chair with orange and white stripes for him and Sakura to sit on. "I see you've finally traded in and got the Maserati GranTurismo huh?" He took the pinkett's arm and pulled her to the chair.

"Yeah, I had it customized too." Neji grinned coolly and turned to face them.

"Nice, so how's it run?" Kakashi smirked then sat beside Sakura.

"Like a beaut-want to take her for a test drive?"

"Haha Neji's ride may look nice but we all know mine's is the best." Naruto cut in, a big grin glued to his face as he leaned over Sakura and kissed her cheek. "I mean come on-I have the Lamborghini Gallardo! It goes from 0 to 60 in 4.1!" His sparking blue eyes darted mischievously as he placed his chin on the pinkett's shoulder.

Pale eyes turned to slits as he glared at the spiky blonde. "I have a 4.2 liter V8 engine and 405 horsepower."

"Heh, child's-play. I have a 5.2 liter 40-valve DOHC V10 and 560 horsepower."

"And I could care less about this conversation." Sakura stated then stood up and walked off, leaving them to argue whose car is better whist she wandered into the beach house. Inside she found a rather charming setting, contrary to what she was expecting.

The walls were painted an off white, creamy color, the furniture was scattered about the large living room giving it a bit of a country off feel. Joining onto the living room was the kitchen, separated by a counter. The kitchen was large as well, complete with granite countertops and creamy white cabinets. 'Naru Naru did good…' She let her fingers trail over the smooth fabric of the couch as she slowly made her way through the living room, pausing in front of the open door deck and glancing back. 'So the deck runs right around the house? That's not safe…' Emerald eyes darted around the room until her gaze landed on a hallway to her right. 'And there's glass surrounding this place…' She chewed her lower lip and she followed the hallway until she reached a door located at the end then glanced at her left. 'And doors are everywhere! Gee a thief sure doesn't have to have a brain to break into this place…'

Just then the door in front her opened up to reveal a young man with messy dark hair. "Sakura?" He mumbled, squinting at her.

"Sasuke?"

"Hey…" He nodded and rubbed the back of his knuckles into his eyes. "Just woke up…"

Pink hair flowed as she nodded, a small smile resting on her lips. "I can see that…so that's a bedroom back there?" She craned her neck to see around his larger frame.

Sasuke furred his eyebrows as he stared down at the curious pinkett, noting her choice of attire. 'Well she was one to dress the part…' He nodded to himself then followed her gaze. 'What does-oh! Right…Naruto bought this place when she was in Kyoto…or rather he had me buy it for him…jackass.' He sighed then stepped aside for her to see. "Yeah, this is a bedroom. It's your first time here right?" He asked as he adjusted the simple dark blue v-neck tee.

"Mhmm…" Sakura looked up at him.

"Care for a tour?" He raised an eyebrow at her, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"Defiantly." She smiled up at him as he held his arm out for her to take.

"Alright then." He placed his right hand atop her own resting on his forearm then led her back down the hall. "This is the living room and that right over there is the kitchen." He gestured to the large conjoining rooms. "Behind that closet door in the kitchen is another room where the idiot keeps his secret stash of food-you know like Ramen and pre-packaged shi-food." Onyx eyes darted down to Sakura by his side to see her staring out at the span of glass doors surrounding them. "Yeah…not the brightest move the designer of this place made right?" He knocked on one of the glass doors then pulled her further down the hallway until they reached the end that connected with the side of the patio.

"Yeah…not to smart…" She mumbled and turned to look left, down the hall.

Sasuke glanced down at her then reached behind to open a door. "Well don't worry too much, there's blinds to draw and its all tinted and tempered."

"That's a relief." She smiled then turned to see him click on a light switch that illuminated a set of staircases that led upstairs.

"Yeah. Upstairs are the bedrooms. Seven in total along with two baths."

"Sakura!" Naruto's loud, booming voice echoed throughout the house.

The midnight blue haired male sighed and closed his eyes "And that idiot is not calling for you." He shook his head and removed his arm from her grasp. "I suppose you should go to him." He reached into the stairwell and clicked off the lights. 'Before he blames me for your lack of appearances.'

"I  
'm going to start the grill! Come on out!" He hollered from the kitchen.

Sakura sighed and played with the ends of her hair as she trudged back down the halls, Sasuke at her heels. 'And it has begun!' She peaked around the corner to see the spiky blonde fast at work in the kitchen, his back to them as he worked over the stove, his black apron tied at his waste covering his orange shorts. On his torso he wore a simple black wife beater. "Hey Naru Naru."

"Hey Saku!" He looked over his shoulder to wink at her. "I forgot to tell you how cute you look in that suit!" His baby blue eyes glistened at he looked over her frame then laughed. "So did you have a tour?"

"Yes she did." Sasuke's deep voce came from the hall as he passed Sakura and grabbed a cooler from a closet. "Did you chill the wine yet?"

Naruto scowled as he turned off the stove and removed the pot. "Yeah I did. Can you go out and add some more ice to the cooler outside?"

"Yeah yeah." Sasuke grumbled as he slid open the patio door and left.

Pink hair swayed as Sakura made her way over to Naruto and hugged him from behind. "I missed you." She mumbled into his back.

The spiky blonde stopped mixing the barbeque sauce and turned to face her. "I missed you too." He mumbled and kissed her forehead then held her close. "So what do you think of this place?"

Emerald eyes stared at the wall behind him as she nuzzled her nose into the side of his neck. "I like it…good investment…"

"Hey Naruto I fired up the grill when ar-oh…sorry to interrupt…" Neji's voice trailed off.

Sakura turned to face him and frowned. "It's not what you think."

Pale eyes darted between her and the blonde grinning. "I'm sure it isn't." He then looked at the baby blue eyed male. "Going to get some this weekend huh Na-ouch!" Pink hair crowded his vision as he doubled over in pain and laughter.

Sakura pouted as she pulled her foot back away from the now crumpled over brunette. "Idiot." She stared then flipped her locks over her shoulder and turned to her best friend and smiled. "You're the chief right?"

Naruto smiled a bright smile as he tore his gaze away from Neji who was still clutching his aching leg and nodded at Sakura. "Yeah. Open the door?"

"Mhmm." Sakura smiled and opened the door for him to walk through with a try filled with hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken and rib tips.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"So Saku, how you've been? I haven't seen you in awhile." Naruto smiled at the pinkett as soon as she took a seat at the table beside the grill.

Sakura nodded absently and allowed a small smile to creep onto her lips. "I know, I've been busy trying to get a new job and all."

"Ah yes." The baby blue eyed male nodded as he flipped the burgers, allowing the flames to fire up then slowly simmer down. "How is that going? Anywhere particular you're looking at?"

Emerald eyes stared out at the glistening, beautiful blue ocean as she breathed out a dreamy sigh. "I'm thinking maybe somewhere Kyoto…you know they have that amazing insane asylum-one of the best-it would be a dream to work there…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

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	2. Chapter 2

L.

Please enjoy and leave a review.

Perhaps on what you think will happen, if Sakura will ever regain her memory involving Gaara, or will she end up with someone else?

Light after Dark

Chapter 2

The warm, evening sun christened the young group mulling around the beach, sitting around a warm campfire drinking beer and eating smores. In front of them the cool waves crashed upon the shore, startling the distracted pink haired young woman. A small smile graced her lips as she pulled the hood of the black Marilyn Manson hoodie closer to her face and tucked her pink fringes behind her ears, she then adjusted her long, exposed legs and pulled the bottom of the hoodie lower. "Here Saku." Emerald eyes followed the sound of the deep voice up to the male beside her.

Sakura twisted her lips as she stared at the stick he held out for her and watched as he stuck a white marshmallow on the end. "Marshmallow?"

"You like to make them right?" He raised his eyebrows in expectation at her. "Then make one." A foxy grin found its way onto his face. "Then give it to Sasuke."

"Hell why do we make this shit? We aren't little kids." A young man with spiky midnight blue hair shaped like a chickens ass muttered, his dark onyx eyes glancing at the blonde sitting beside the pink haired young women roasting a marshmallow over the fire. "Well most of us aren't…" He watched as he took a swig of his beer then nudged the pinkett in the arm and stuffed his mouth filled with marshmallows.

"Oh shuddappp!" The spiky blonde yelled at him, spitting out the marshmallows. "This is supposed to be fun Sasuke." He wrapped an arm around the pinkett's shoulders. "If you want to be an emo bastard then go to your room and sulk in the closet. If you want to stay here; let loose and have some fun." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kakashi nod and open another bottle of Corona. "Pass another one here Sempai!"

Onyx eyes darkened as he watched the blonde. "Idiot." He muttered then turned to Neji beside him.

"He has a point."

"What?"

Neji sighed and accepted the smore Kakashi held out to him. "We're here to have fun. So have fun."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

After several more rounds of beers, a few sloppy attempts at cleaning up and many burns, the group stumbled back up the beach to the house and made their way inside, Sakura in the lead. She giggled as she staggered up the many stairs, falling a few times and continuing on all fours.

"Saku!" Naruto chided behind her. "Careful you don't hurt yourself! These stairs are dirty!" He grabbed the back of her hoodie and pulled her up. "Walk on your feet like your suppose to."

Behind him he heard a crash as the young, midnight blue haired male tripped on the stairs. "Shit! How the fuck is it you aren't wasted?" He slurred, leaning his back against the railing as he closed his eyes.

"Cause I know my limit."

"I call upstairs!" Sakura announced as soon as she burst through the closed doors of the living room.

"What?" Naruto stumbled in after her and laughed. "Saku you can't occupy seven bedrooms!" He grinned at her and slumped onto a chair. "When you go upstairs, take a peak into each room – you'll eventually figure out which one's yours." He winked at her then turned his attention to the long haired brunette opening a bottle of aspirin. "Pass one over here Neji."

Sakura sighed and ignored them as she strolled down the dark corridor then slipped her arm out to turn on the stairwell light. 'Well at least for now it's quiet…'

Sakura twisted her mouth as she trotted up the stairs and sighed. In front of her was a blank wall, too her left was another hall as was her right. She chewed her lower lip and ran her fingers though the ends of her hair as she turned right and opened the first door on the left and came face to face with a pale cream room with dark brown and woodened accents. '…Okay…Neji….' She shut the door then proceed down the hall to open the door on the right. Inside was black with silver and white accents. '…Kakashi-Sempai…'

She made her way all the way down the hall to stop at the last door. "Hopefully this is it…" Her soft voice echoed as her petite hand reached out and grasped the gold painted door handle with small vines carved into it. The door clicked open softly and a gentle wind kissed her cheeks as she poked her head inside.

It was the last room on the far left; meaning she got one of the best views in the house. It had two enormous glass windows that connected at the corner plus a balcony so she could have a perfect view of the ocean, the seagulls, sand, and even the mountain tops were all in the view. The double doors to the balcony were also open, allowing the cool night sea air to rush into the room, giving it a calm, cool glow.

Pink dusted Sakura's cheeks as her emerald eyes scanned her room. Naruto had it decorated specifically for her; from top to bottom everything was pink and black; from the ceiling fan to the coffee table and the drapes in front of the window. 'Wow Naru! You're too amazing…' She smiled to herself as she kicked the door shut and walked into the room, reveling in cool floorboards beneath her bare feet.

"Wow…he went all out…"She mumbled and went immediately to the black trunk at the bottom of the bed where her suitcase was seated upon. 'Better grab a shower and some sleep…' Her tired hands worked at the zipper then grabbed the first thing her fingers brushed; a simple black shirt with the words Pirates of the Caribbean sprawled across it and plain gray shorts with simple lace embroidered at the bottom.

Emerald eyes scanned the dim room for any sighs of a conjoining bathroom. 'Bathroom…bathroom…if I recall correctly there should be two…but is that including the one downstairs?' She stood up with the bundle in her arms and made her way back over to the door and opened it only to come face to face with darkness. 'Of course he'd buy the timer lights…' A loud, aggravated sigh escaped her lips as she fumbled her way down the hall, the tips of her fingers grazing the rough surface of the walls. 'Light switch…light switch…'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Downstairs sat the spiky silver haired male, with his feet kicked up on the coffee table and his ever present Icha Icha Paradise book gracing his lap.

"Naruto?" His deep voice interrupted the mild conversation between him and Neji.

"Yeah Sempai?"

"Is there someone else staying here along with us?"

"Huh?" Confused, baby blue eyes stared at the silver haired male sitting beside him.

"how'd you drive both your car and Sasuke's down here?" He clarified.

Realization dawned in baby blue eyes. "Oh! I didn't man Kakashi-Sempai I thought you went crazy for a sec!" Naruto burst out laughing and rubbed his nose.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "So how'd you do it?"

Naruto shrugged, a grin glued to his lips. "I met this guy that was heading down here with his sister. He needed a ride cause apparently he pissed her off so I lent him my car and drove Sasuke's." He shrugged coolly and rubbed his knuckles into his eyes. "He's a cool guy. They're actually staying right over there." He motioned to the right, at a cliff. "Over on the other side. And man I'll tell ya, that sister of his is a psychopath!"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

The next morning the young pink haired woman awoke to the faint sounds of the waves crashing on the shore and the morning seagulls echoing in the distance. She breathed in deeply, slowly waking up her sore body then rubbed her palms into her eyes, ridding herself of any last remnants of sleep. "Mhnnn…" She groaned hoarsely and sat up in bed, allowing the blankets to fall and pool around her waist.

Blearily she blinked, squinting at the darkness until her eyes landed on the digital clock by her beside glowing red. 'Only 4:30am huh…'A tired sigh escaped her lips as she once again rubbed her eyes then swung her feet out from bed. For a moment she just sat there, willing herself to stand up until she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. 'A note?' Stuck to the lampshade was a white note card with Naruto's handwriting scribbled on it.

_Hey Saku! _

_I know you'll probably end up waking up real early so I thought I'd better leave you some pain killers and a cup of coffee. I know you'd drink it cold so here, just to your liking. Be sure to take the meds and go ahead and hop in the shower or go for a walk on the beach. _

_Just be careful. _

_Love, _

_Naruto. _

A small, warm smile crept onto her face as she re-read the note then turned her focus to the white teacup decorated with black and pink designs racing along the edges and handle. 'So sweet…' She reached forward and picked up the cup and two painkillers and quickly downed them. 'Just what I needed…' Her eyes closed down then quickly opened up again. "What now?" She murmured to herself then looked at the drawn drapes blocking out the beautiful view of the sea. '…A nice walk on the beach would be nice…' She decided and stood up, gently stretching then made her way over to her door and opened it.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Sakura smiled a small smile as she pulled the Black Veil Brides hoodie closer around her slight frame and sipped the coffee steaming in her hands. 'I love the beach in the morning.' She breathed in the familiar scent of hazelnut wafting up her nose and allowed it to fill up her insides. Her gaze then focused on the orange horizon in front of her, the soft waves crashing onto shore, and the cool wind grazing her cheeks. It was beautiful, the sky was orange and purple, the white clouds were slowly moving along and the few seagulls flew though the sky with ease. 'It's so beautiful out…so relaxing and peaceful…'

"G'Morning!" A woman's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Huh?" Emerald eyes jumped open to stare down at a young woman looking up at her. "Uhm, hello." She answered bewilderedly. The woman wore a simple purple Paramore hoodie paired with black denim shorts and black and white converse; her dirty blonde hair was pulled in four and her intense olive eyes were focused solely on the pinkett. 'Oh my God! Who is this woman? She looks-What if she's a psychopath?'

"Don't act so worried, I'm not a mass murderer or anything." The blonde woman smiled warmly up at her.

"Well that's good." Sakura fiddled with the mug on the banister.

"Yeah…so my name's Temari. My brother and I own a beach house right over that cliff there." Temari pointed at the same cliff Naruto did last night.

Emerald eyes followed her arm back to her face and shook her head. '…That name…' She bit her lower lip. "Is your brother's name Kankurou?"

Temari frowned as she nodded at the pinkett. "Yes…look if he was hitting on you or broke your date or something, I'm sorry but it's not my fault. He's an ass." She shrugged and closed her eyes. "But you really can't blame me for his faults. I'm only his sister not his mother."

Sakura nodded, a small smile dancing on her lips as she sipped her coffee. "True..." Her fingers fiddled nervously with the handle of the mug. "…Would you care for some coffee?"

"No thank you, I only stopped to say hello since you were just standing there. I've really got to get going to buy some gas for our grill. My brother used it all last night. The idiot left the damned thing on all night."

Emerald eyes widened in horror. 'So that was the smell….'

"Yeah, he's not too bright…" Temari shook her head and shoved her hands into the pockets of the hoodie. "Well it was nice meeting you Sakura." She smiled and waved. "Perhaps we'll meet again."

Emerald eyes watched her figure as she left, walking down the beach, her footprints leaving a dark trail in the light sand. 'How the hell did she know my name?'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Baby blue eyes cracked open to stare up at a white ceiling above him, he groaned slightly as he began to move, his arms searching for a way out beneath the mess of blankets trapping him to the bed as he slowly sat up. '…Bathroom…' He blinked blearily and rubbed his knuckles into his eyes as he yawned and swung his legs out of bed. '…Bathroom!' With hazy eyes he made his way to the bedroom door and stumbled down the hall until he reached the bathroom and blindly groped the door for the handle then pushed it open then shut it behind him. 'Ahhh… bathroom…' He didn't bother with the lights as he strode forward to his goal, a dazed look on his face as his hands traveled down to his pajama pants and he positioned himself in front of the toilet. Clumsily, his fingers worked at the button on his pants until it came loose and he freed himself of the binding.

Just then a soft click was heard behind him followed by a tired sigh. "…Naruto you really ought to work on locking the door when you're using the bathroom." Came a deep voice chiding him followed by the closing of the door.

Awkward silence.

"…WELL LEARN TO KNOCK SEMPAI!"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"…You mean to say that Kakashi-Sempai walked in on you in the bathroom?" The midnight blue haired male repeated in shock.

"…Yea…" Naruto blushed, and grabbed his white apron off a hook then adjusted the belt tied at his hips.

"How stupid can you be? Don't you know how to lock a door?"

"Shut up I had to pee!"

Sakura laughed softly as she strode into the living room, having heard the story from outside. A small, nervous smile played on her lips as she made her way over to the kitchen section, her emerald eyes immediately falling on her blonde headed best friend.

"Ahhh man Saku you heard that didn't you?" his sad, sparkling, baby blue puppy dog eyes stared at her as he leaned against the counter.

"Aw it's okay Naru Naru…shit happens." A small giggled escaped her lips before she placed the mug on the counter top.

"She's just taking pity on you idiot." Sasuke's voice came from the living room.

Sakura chewed on her lower lip as she pulled out the stool near the kitchen counter and hopped up on it; lacing her fingers then rested her chin atop her hands. 'I need to know how she knew my name! It's too creepy…I can't stand it! Maybe Naru knows something…' She cleared her throat. "Naru Naru?" She called curiously, watching as he moved around the kitchen, grabbing a mixing bowl, eggs, seasoning, parsley, and a knife then added them to his mess on the far counter.

"Hm?" He raised an eyebrow at her, a calm look over his face.

She sighed softly as she traced abstract patterns on her counter top before starting. "This morning…I met this girl named Temari…she knew my name…?"

Naruto turned to face her, one hand posed to start chopping onions. "Well of course she did silly." He grinned at her, his hand coming down to perfectly slice the onion in half.

"Of course?" She repeated stupidly. "What does that mean? She could be a psychopath! A serial killer! A rapist! Don't you care?"

Naruto frowned and dropped the knife on the cutting board. "Of course I do Saku."

"Well if you do then why are you so cool-"

"Oh don't worry Saku, I was telling them about you." Naruto smiled brightly at the befuddled pinkett. "She probably just wanted to meet you is all." He wiped his hands on the apron tied at his waist then went over to her and pinched her red cheeks. "Hey! I've got an idea; let's invite them over for dinner tonight!"

Behind Sakura in the living room Neji groaned in annoyance. "That means I have to go buy more beer doesn't it?" He muttered, slowly standing and grabbing his car keys off the coffee table. "And I just came from town twenty minutes ago…"

Baby blue eyes shinned with happiness as he watched the long haired brunette walk out onto the patio then trot down the stairs. "Thanks Neji!" He yelled, a grin glued to his face.

"Yeah yeah."

"Naruto." Kakashi began, adjusting himself as he settled down onto the large sofa. "Are you sure it's such a good idea? I mean what you did with your car was up to you but now it's not just you; all of us are in here."

Naruto bit his lower lip as he eased off the counter in front of the pinkett. "They seem cool. Kankurou seems like a nice guy. He refilled the tank when he got here then brought over some chocolate chip cookies he baked."

"I didn't get any cookies." Sakura interjected before anyone said anything.

Awkward silence.

Baby blue eyes darkened before he shifted uncomfortably. "Ask Sasuke how they tasted." Naruto muttered dryly.

Emerald eyes turned to the young man nursing his mug of coffee off to the side. "Well?"

Sasuke twisted his mouth and sighed. "They were good. Guy can cook." He shrugged then trudged down the hall and into the bedroom.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After a few hours later; along with several smartass comments, quite a few choiced words and many arguments, dinner was cooked and the patio table was turned into a dinner set for royalty; complete with two wine glasses per person as well as napkins folded like mini swans.

"Naru you've outdone yourself." Sakura complemented, running her fingers over the lace on the table cloth, her emerald eyes looked up at him and took in his appearance as he placed the last dish on the table. He was wearing a simple light blue pinstriped button-down paired with black slacks and dress shoes, around his neck dangled his ever present green gem hooked on a silver chain.

"Good Evening up there!" A deep voice startled the pinkett.

"Good Evening down there!" Laughed Naruto as he leaned over the banister to smile down at a young man with messy brown hair and a woman with blonde hair pulled in four. "Why don't you two come on up? Everything's ready." His sparkling blue eyes darted over to the side. "Take the stairs up-its right over there." He nodded to the left.

Pink hair whirled as Sakura turned and leaned over the banister to catch a glimpse of blonde before they disappeared around the side. A light pink dusted her cheeks as she leaned back to see Naruto grinning at her. "You okay? Nervous?"

She nodded.

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her and held her close. "Don't be, they're nice people. I've met them before remember?" He kissed the top of her head and adjusted the bow on the back of her, white cocktail dress that stopped just before her knees. "And would she stop and chat with you if she were a bitch?"

Just then Sasuke stepped up to them, drink in hand. He wore a simple dark blue dress shirt with black slacks and dress shoes, he stuffed one hand into his pant pocket and a mocking look overtook his features. "Well-"

"Shut up Sasuke."

"Good Evening." Kakashi's deep voice cut though their banter; all eyes turned to the two standing at the top of the stairs.

"Hey Kankurou. Temari," Naruto smiled warmly and motioned them in while he wrapped one arm around Sakura's waist and pulled her forward. "This is Sakura." He nodded down to her. "My best friend. And over there-" He jerked his hand toward Sasuke, asking him to come forward. "Is Sasuke."

"I'm Kakashi." The silver haired male smiled warmly then took a seat at the table.

"Neji." The long haired brunette nodded then sat beside Kakashi.

"Nice to meet you all." The two smiled and nodded kindly, before Temari stepped up closer to Naruto and Sakura. "Nice to see you again Sakura." Temari grinned and gave the pinkett a quick, polite hug.

"So you're the famous Sakura." Kankurou grinned and made his way over to her and looked her over. "I can see why Naruto speaks so highly of you…"

"Kankurou!" Temari slapped his arm, an annoyed look flashing in her eyes.

"What? I was just saying…nice you meet you Sakura I'm Kankurou." He bowed and kissed the top of her hand.

Baby blue eyes harden slightly as he watched the interaction then clapped his hands. "Alright! Well why don't we all take our seats and begin eating this meal?" He smiled and took Sakura's hand and led her to the seat beside Sasuke. "Here you go." He pulled out the chair for her then sat beside her. "Well help yourselves, his smile widened as the pinkett's petite hand reached over and took a piece of his homemade bread.

"So I hear your goal is to work in Kyoto's Mental Asylum?" Temari asked, stirring her cocktail then sipping it.

Sakura nodded, a proud smile on her lips. "Yeah, it's one of the best hospitals around."

"Yeah, I know. But what prompted you to you know set your eyes on it?"

Confusion danced in her eyes before realization dawned. "Well all my life I've always wanted to do something." She glanced at Naruto beside her to see his hand rest atop her own. "Ever since I can remember…I've always dabbled in medical things…from making splints to compressing blood flow…because of…" A frown graced her lips. "Because…he…he was a bit of a loon and…so I helped him…medically, from small cuts to helping him with broken ribs and busted knuckles. So it was only natural that I picked up a few things in the hospital you know? How to make a splint, mend an ankle, make a tourniquet, compress blood flow…simple emergency stuff… And then one day when I…when I…." Her small face scrunched in concentration, her voice fell soft and silence surrounded her as the side conversations of Neji and Kakashi came to a halt.

"Sakura?" Naruto turned to fully face her, a look of pure panic and worry edging its way onto his face. 'The hell was she rambling about?'

"When I…" She mumbled, head bowing.

"Sakura." Kakashi's deep voice cut through the tension forming as he stood up and kneeled in front of her. "What's wrong?"

Pink hair fell in a curtain around her as she shook her head then mumbled. "I can't remember..."

"Remember?" Naruto repeated slowly. "Remember what Sakura?"

"Why I wanted to become a Psychologist…" Her voice was beginning to break.

'Oh shit….' All heads turned to face each other in horror as realization began to dawn on them.

Olive eyes darted around nervously, looking into the faces of their hosts. 'What the hell? Did I step on a landmine?' She cleared her throat. "It's okay Sakura." Temari laughed nervously, not understanding exactly what was going on. "That happens to me too. Important thing is you've found your true calling."

"Yeah!" Kankurou jumped in. "It's perfectly normal! Nothing to stress over!" He chuckled uncomfortably.

Baby blue eyes glanced up at Sasuke to see him standing up and making his way around the table.

"I think it's best if you two leave now." Kakashi stated, standing and helping Sakura to her feet. "It's been a long day and Sakura here is completely exhausted." He lied though his teeth, an apologetic smile appearing briefly on his face before he turned his back and pulled Sakura away from the table.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

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Continue?

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	3. Chapter 3

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 3

Naruto smiled an apologetic smiled at Temari and Kankurou as they watched Kakashi escort Sakura back into the beach house with the stoic chicken ass haired male trailing behind. "I apologize for that." He shrugged and fixed the cuffs on his sleeves before stepping forward and holding his hand out to shake. "Sakura…" His voice wavered a bit before he cleared his throat and the soft smile returned to his face. "Let's just say she isn't the average girl next door okay?"

Kankurou frowned as he accepted his outstretched hand. "She going to be okay?" His brown eyes scanned the house, watching the shadowed movements inside. 'She's too hot to be…mental.'

Baby blue eyes darkened as he unclasped his hand and stuffed it into his pant pocket. "Yeah…"

Behind him shuffling was heard as Neji grabbed up a few of the half empty bottles of Vodka and wine. "She'll be fine. She's an annoyingly tough young woman." He stated before nodding to them then going inside.

Temari sighed a worried sigh as she shifted her weight and rubbed the side of her neck. "Was it…was it something I said?" She asked worriedly.

"Oh come on Temari. Don't be ridiculous." Naruto shook his head and rubbed her arm in a soothing gesture. "Saku's just tired is all. Don't worry."

"Hard not to worry with that freak out of hers." Kankurou muttered, his eyes still trained on the shadowed movements indoors.

Olive eyes flashed to her brother. "Oh look who's talking. The guy who likes to wear face paint." She spat, one hand resting on her hip. "You're in no place to judge."

A red tinge found its way onto his cheeks as he shifted uncomfortably. "Shut up! It's part of my job!"

"Oh your job huh?" She persisted, annoyance shinning in her eyes.

"It's in the description alright?" Brown eyes glanced at the spiky blonde in front of them enjoying the show.

A mocking smile made its way onto Naruto's lips. "What do you moonlight as a clown or something?"

"Fuck you."

Naruto chuckled and leaned forward. "It's a bit too soon for that don't you think?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

All was quiet inside as Sakura took a seat on the sofa, Neji and Sasuke opting to stand uncomfortably in the kitchen while Kakashi took a seat in front of Sakura on the coffee table. The room was completely silent; the only sounds were the muffled voices conversing outside. Dark eyes watched sadly as she massaged her forehead, her face scrunched in pain. "Sakura?" His deep voice vibrated off the quite walls.

"What?" She growled impatiently.

The silver haired male closed his eyes and grabbed her arms, forcing her to look up at him. "What's wrong Sakura? Tell me." He leaned in closer to her, his dark eyes searching her defensive orbs. "I won't know unless you say something."She bit her lip and turned her head to the side, avoiding his gaze. "Sakura."

"I don't know!" Her high pitched voice broke the silence that settled in the room.

"Don't lie to me." He maintained his cool.

Emerald eyes glared daggers at his emotionless face. "I don't fucking know Sempai." She growled darkly, her eyes turning into slits.

In the kitchen Sasuke and Neji shifted uncomfortably. "Wow bitch mode coming out…" Onex eyes watched the scene in front of them and shook his head. "It's been awhile since she was last like this…"

Kakashi frowned at her and pulled her closer to him so that he was looming over her. "Sakura stop acting like a spoiled brat and tell me what's wrong." He ordered.

"Let me go Sempai!" She yanked her wrist out of his. "My head fucking hurts!" She screamed and shoved his shoulder, pushing him away from her. "It fucking hurts and I can't remember anything!" He fell back a little, his right arm moving to break his fall. 'A headache? Maybe it's that time of the month again…'Silver hair swayed as he nodded in understanding. "Well do you want some aspirin?" Concern covered his face as he waved at Neji to get the bottle of aspirin. "Sakura." He called as she quickly curled up into a ball on the couch. "Sakura don't ignore me."

Footsteps echoed as Neji approached her and nudged her shoulder over the back of the couch. "Here Sakura. Take this it'll help with your headache." She pointedly ignored him as well.

"Sakura." Kakashi warned, placing a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Shut up! You're not my father so stop acting like you are!" She jerked her shoulder away from him and jumped over the back of the couch, shoving a surprised Neji out of her way and onto the ground.

Kakashi watched in silence as she stalked out of the room. 'But Sakura…I am your father…' He sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes tiredly. 'You're adopted father actually…'

Neji sighed heavily and stood back up, tossing the bottle of aspirin onto the couch and leaning his weight onto the back of the couch. "She's so cantankerous…"

_Light after Dark Light After Dark _

Kankurou and Temari sighed a heavy sigh as they both walked into their beach house. Kankurou sniffed slightly as he reached an arm out to click on the living room lights while his sister made her way over to the hall way closet. "That face paint comment was unnecessary…" He mumbled dejectedly as he walked over to the flat screen television mounted on the wall and grabbed the remote.

"We all know you're not gay so stop complaining will you?" She huffed and flipped the switch in the hallway that closed all of the open blinds.

"It still hurts…."

Temari twisted her lips as she pulled out the hair ties in her hair, allowing the blonde locks to fall down her back and frame her face. "You know…" She began, turning to face her brother as he raised one eyebrow to look at her as he unbuttoned his shirt. "That Sakura girl…she's…"

"Weird?" He volunteered.

"No…that's not it…"

"Mental?"

"No…."

"Sick?"

"Would you kindly shut your trap? I'm trying to think here!" She snapped, slipping off her purple heels then waltzed into the kitchen.

Kankurou frowned and sunk down into the loveseat. "Geez I was only trying to help…" He muttered under his breath.

Olive eyes narrowed as she peered into the fully stocked refrigerator. 'What is it? Sakura…Sakura…she's different…she's…not special-not that I would say but there's something about her! What the hell is it?' She reached into the cool shelf and retrieved a box of cheesecake. 'There's something off about her…that's it!' She grinned as she spun around and placed the box on the counter top.

"Is that cheesecake you got there? I'll take a slice thanks." Kankurou's deep voice echoed in from the living room.

"I've got it!" She yelled at him as she flipped on the kitchen light.

Brown eyes peered at her from the loveseat. "…I know? That's why I want a slice…"

Temari rolled her eyes. "No I mean about Sakura!" She leaned over the counter top excitedly. "There's something missing about her-like there's a part of her missing!"

Brown eyes bore a hole into her head. "…You okay Tem?" He frowned at her and kicked off his shoes.

She snarled.

"Seriously Sis. Think about what you're saying." He stood up and strode over to the counter. "A part of her missing? What the hell does that even mean?" He sighed and leaned on the countertop.

Temari scowled and grabbed a knife out of the rack on the counter. "It means something's missing."

"Like?"

"Like…like I don't know…" She sighed and watched as he ripped open the box of cheesecake. "It just seems like she's a hollow shell of fake happiness."

Kankurou worked his jaw as he watched his older sister pull out the cheese cake and cut it in half. 'A hollow shell of happiness huh?' Brown eyes followed her as she opened up a cupboard and pulled out two plates. 'Happiness is better than sadness no matter how you swing it.' He shook his head as she placed his half on the white plate then handed it to him. "Remember when we had to split these in three?" He mumbled more to himself as he took the plate and shook his head. "I think it was better that way…felt more…more like a cheese cake…"

Olive eyes watched as he moved back into the living room and sat on the couch. She sighed and grabbed her plate and two forks then followed his lead. "I know…" She took a seat beside him and handed him his fork. "But its better off this way isn't it?"

"…I don't know." He answered softly, and then bit into his half.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Early morning sun shinned down onto the exhausted spiky blondes face, waking him from his deep slumber. Tiredly he stretched his locked joints and rubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes, ridding his senses of sleep. 'Damn…morning already…' He breathed in a deep sigh then swung his legs out of bed and onto the cool, wooden flooring. Groggily he navigated his way through the dim room, opened the door and made his way to the bathroom. He clicked on the light and made a beeline for the sink and turned on the pipe and cupped his hands under the running water then splashed it onto his face, fully waking himself up. "That felt good…" He mumbled and wiped the droplets from his face.

Behind him he heard the faint pitter patter of footsteps.

"You know Kaka-Sempai is right." He looked up at the reflection in the mirror to see Sasuke staring back at him. "You really ought to lock the bathroom door."

"…Fuck you."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Temari stood uncomfortably in the doorway, the warm late morning sun to her back, cool sea breeze blowing, and a freshly baked pie in her hands. In front of her stood a young man wearing a simple dark blue v-neck shirt paired with white board shorts, a confused look planted on his pale face.

"You baked us pie?" Sasuke repeated dumbly.

"No…Kankurou did..." She shifted slightly.

He raised a curious eyebrow and accepted the pie. "Naruto! Your guest is here." He yelled into the house then turned back to Temari. She wore a simple deep purple bikini beneath a white, deep v-neck beach cover up; on her head sat a purple and white beach hat. "He'll be here in a minute." Was all he stated before turning away from her and walking up to the kitchen counter.

A few seconds later the baby blue eyed male appeared in the living room. "Hey! Leave some for Saku!" He chided the midnight blue haired male then strode up to the open door where Temari stood. "Hey! Didn't expect to see you here." He grinned easily at her. "Why don't you come on in?" He stepped to the side.

Temari nodded, a small smile dancing on her lips as she stepped though the door and down the one step into the living room. Her olive eyes roamed over the interior, taking in the calming colors and cooling sensation. 'Nice place…better than ours actually…' She raised an eyebrow at the intricate sea shell center piece on the coffee table. 'He hired a decorator. He had to.'

"So." Naruto's curious voice entered her brain. "Here to hang out?" He asked, slipping past her and moving toward the couch; with his eyes he motioned for her to take a seat.

"Something like that." She grinned and sat on the loveseat, crossing her long legs and leaning on one arm of the chair. "So is Sakura here?"

"Ah! A girl's day is what you want huh?" He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Temari laughed and shrugged. "What can I say? Girl's will be girls."

Naruto nodded then turned to see Sasuke cutting a piece of pie. "Hey before you shove your face full of food go get Sakura. Tell her Temari's here for her."

"Why me?"

"Cause you're just standing there."

"I was going to eat!"

"Fatty. Go get her."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

After a few minutes, Sakura came bounding downstairs with a very annoyed, chicken haired male behind her. She wore a black and pink polka dotted bikini under a white hooded beach cover up and light pink flip flops on her feet. "Hi Temari." She smiled warmly, a light pink dusted her cheeks.

"Hey." She smiled back as she stood up. "I was thinking maybe you'd like to spend the day down by the water with me?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Naruto interjected as he stood up and strode over to the pinkett. "Go have some fun Saku." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "The rest of us will be down in a few hours."

Emerald eyes sparkled as she walked over to the blonde haired woman. "Looks like I'm being kicked out." She laughed and opened the door. "So I guess we need stuff though…"

"Oh don't worry." Olive eyes squinted as she stepped out into the shinning sun. "I had Kankurou set things up. Follow me." She led Sakura down the stairs and onto the beach. "I picked out the best spot." Her hand went up to block the sun out of her eyes. "Near the rocks so it should be a bit cooler, but still in a prime location. Not too close to the water but near enough so we can see everything." She glanced down at the pinkett to see her squinting against the sun. "Should have brought my shades…" She mumbled.

"Oh don't worry, I've got all that." Temari laughed. "I hope you don't mind sitting on the beach; thought we could do some tanning you know? Oh and I had him bring a cooler as well. With snacks, and a large beach umbrella."

Sakura looked up at the woman walking with her and chortled. "What haven't you thought of?" She smiled happily and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Hey look at that!" Temari pointed to the ocean in front of them. "Over there…near the rocks." Sakura followed her hand to see a young man surfing in the distance.

Emerald eyes watched in the distance as a young man with long blonde hair pulled into a high pony tail on his head entered her line of vision. He was tall and lean, and his long hair flowed in the wind as he surfed pass them.

"He your type?" Sakura flushed red as she immediately averted her eyes. "No!"

"Oh?"

Emerald eyes stared out at the water where he was surfing. 'It's just that he looked really familiar is all.' She frowned.

"Ah well." Temari shrugged and leaned back on her arms. "Today you'll see plenty of that so you can take your pick." She winked slyly at her.

"Huh?"

"Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"There's a surfing contest today…it was going to be last week but what with the storm down here and all they postponed it…" She trailed off, grabbing the bottle of sun tan lotion and spraying some more onto her exposed stomach.

"Really?"

"Yeah well that's why I thought you all came." She laughed. "Well Kankurou's participating in it and with what Kakashi was wearing I just thought…"

"Kaka-Sempai?"

"…Yeah…he was down here earlier in swimming trunks…he and Kankurou went out surfing…"

"Kaka-Sempai can surf?" Sakura repeated.

Temari eyed the young woman beside her. 'The hell? She lives with the man and she doesn't even…what the hell is wrong with her?'

Sakura bit her lower lip as she began thinking. 'I haven't seen Sempai since last night…is he mad? What the hell am I saying of course he's upset-I would be too. My head hurt so much that I just…no that's just making excuses.' She ran her fingers though her long hair. 'I don't even remember what I was trying to remember…and of all people why Sempai? Why did I take it out on him? Why not Sasuke? Or Neji? Why Kakashi-Sempai?' A frown settled on her lips as she twirled a strand of her hair between her long fingers.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

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Continue?

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	4. Chapter 4

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 4 

Baby blue eyes sparkled as he jogged down the length of the beach, a beach bag in his arm. His spiky blonde hair danced in the wind as did the ever present crystal blue necklace around his neck. 'This ought to be fun.' He grinned and slowed to a stop to look over his shoulder at the two grouchy guy's seventeen paces behind him. "Come on!" He shouted. "All the good spots will be taken if you two don't hurry!"

"Oh shut up." A young man with midnight blue hair styled like a chickens ass growled. "I'm not going any faster so stop your complaining."

"Move your ass Sasuke!" Naruto yelled then turned his attention to the silent brunette beside him. "You too Neji!"

Pale eyes narrowed as he sighed and closed his eyes. "He won't give up will he?"

Sasuke scowled as he shook his head. "Nope."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Emerald eyes widened as she spotted a familiar tuff of silver hair in the distance. "Kaka-Sempai!" She gasped, a pink tinge dusting the apples of her cheeks as she sat up straighter, her shoulders immediately squaring.

Beside her Temari smiled, her gaze following Sakura's. "And Kankurou's with him too."

Sakura nodded, a dark look coming across her face as they came into focus. Kakashi ran a hand through his wet hair, the water droplets dripping down his long face, his chest was bare and his black and gray swimming trunks hung low on his waist; under his arm was his silver and black surf board. A few steps behind him walked Kankurou with his brown hair matted to his face and a scowl resting on his lips. His muscled chest glistened with water as his plain black trunks clung to his hips as he drug his navy blue surf board behind him in despair.

She bit her lower lip in anticipation. 'He's going to come over right? Right?'

"Sakura?" Temari's concerned voice brought her back down to planet Earth. "You okay? You look sort of…sick."

"I'm fine…just…nervous…I…"

"Hey you two." A deep voice interrupted. Emerald eyes darted up to see Kakashi standing over her, a warm smile planted on his lips. "You okay Sakura? You look a bit pale…" He kneeled down in front of her and placed a cool, damp hand on her forehead. "Are you not feeling well?" A concerned look crossed his features. "Do you want to go back inside?"

'He's not mad?' Sakura bit her lower lip and grabbed his arm. "Kaka-Sempai? You're not mad?" She asked, her eyebrows furring and her mouth hanging agape.

Kakashi closed his eyes and sat back on her beach blanket, his pale skin glistening in the warm sun. "Of course not Sakura." He stated and ran his long fingers through his wet hair.

"But I was so-"

"You were upset. It's quite alright." He smiled and took her hand. "Just promise to talk to me instead of yelling next time alright?"

Pink hair swayed as she nodded and opened her mouth to speak.

"Hate to ruin a nice…friendship moment…" Kankurou's voice cut in. "But make room for one more?"

Sakura looked up to see him dump his surf board off to the side and nudge Temari's leg with his own sand covered one. She then looked across from her to see Kakashi grab one of the deep blue towels and began to dry his messy silver locks.

Temari twisted her lips and sat up, making room for him to sit down. "What's with you? Didn't have fun?" She raised a perfect blonde eyebrow at him.

Kankurou heaved a heavy sigh and caught the towel Kakashi tossed at him. "Things were good…till others caught wind of us practicing and decided to join in…fuckers…"

Temari nodded slowly. "And you're pissed because all the other kiddies wouldn't let you play in their sandbox…"

"Shut up Temari." He snipped and buried his damp face in the warm towel.

"What? I'm just trying to understand why you're so pissed and couldn't just 'share' the ocean." She shrugged casually and fiddled with the tiny grains of sand he kicked onto her blanket. "I mean I know your use to having everything to yourself but you don't own the ocean Kanky."

Kankurou glared down at his older sister. "I know that Tem. I'm not stupid." He tossed the now wet towel on her lap and took a seat beside her; his tanned back facing the ocean.

"Could have fooled me."

"Hello down there!" A distant voice interrupted them. All eyes turned to see Naruto waving in the distance. "Sorry we're late!" He yelled as he ran up to them. "See, we would have been here sooner but…well it's not my fault." He laughed and dropped his beach bag behind Temari then enveloped Sakura in a bear hug.

"Hi Naru Naru!" She laughed and leaned back into his embrace.

"Hi Saku!" He grinned and kissed her cheek. "Hey Sempai." He released her and nodded at Kakashi who now had the towel draped around his neck and shoulders. "Had a good practice?"

A dark look crossed Kankurou's face and he opened his mouth to speak just as Temari slapped her hand over his mouth. "Oh please don't get them started on that again." Temari stated just as Sasuke and Neji walked up.

"Don't get who started on what again?" Sasuke asked as he dropped the beach umbrellas and basket on the sand then shoved his hands into the pockets of his swim shorts.

"Hey be careful with that!" Naruto chided a frown on his face. "Those things cost money you know."

"Hey…" Sakura began, her gaze focused in the distance.

"Hm?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her.

"Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"Over there." She pointed blatantly at a group of people with their backs facing them.

"What about them?"

"Well one of them just glanced over here and did a nose dive into the sand when I saw." She twisted her lips. "It's weird."

Naruto sighed and took a seat beside her, blocking her view of the people. "Saku…did you ever consider the fact that maybe they're hiding from you cause you keep gawking at them?" He raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged. "I mean c'mon, you're not even trying to be subtle." A tinge of pink covered her cheeks as he took her hand and pushed it down. "It's not nice to point and stare at people Saku." He chided her.

"I didn't mean to…" She trailed off and turned her head to the side. "I thought they kept…oh whatever."

"Awww…" He pinched her cheeks. "Someone's embarrassed of their blunder." He spoke in a baby voice, a huge grin on his face.

Beside her Temari laughed. "She is! Aww and she's turning red! Too cute!" She teased.

"You're making her feel embarrassed." Kankurou chortled and leaned back on his elbows.

"Why am I here?" Sasuke mumbled and kicked the sand beside them.

"Cause your mum wanted you to be." Kakashi answered metaphorically. "So shut it and enjoy your life."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The young man with long blonde hair pulled into a pony tail coughed as he slowly walked out of the water, a bright blue surfboard tucked under his arm. 'Shit!' He breathed deeply and rubbed his knuckles into his eyes. 'I'm damn sure that was her I saw…'

"Deidara-Sempai! You okay?" Another man wearing an orange mask ran up to him and took his board.

Deidara sighed and turned back to face the water, his hands on his hips as he adjusted his swimming trunks. 'We're all in the shithole if she saw me…and what about the contest? How the hell am I suppose to compete with her watching?'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Alright! All surfing contestants line up and get ready!" The announcer spoke into the microphone. "We start in seven minutes!"

Blonde hair whirled as he turned to glare up at the announcer seated on top of a lifeguard chair. 'Fuck you couldn't even give me some time could you?'

"Deidara-Sempai!" The young man with short black hair and an orange mask waved. "You need to get ready!"

"Shut up Tobi." He snarled and pushed him aside as she stalked up to another man. "Itachi." He called, pointedly ignoring the fact that the man was currently putting sun block all over his exposed chest, arms, legs and back. 'Why the hell are you at the beach and entering a surfing contest, when you don't want to get tan?'

"What Deidara?" Itachi asked, a dark look in his eye.

"We have a problem."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Better go Kaka-Sempai!" Sakura smiled across at him and waved. "Good luck!"

Kakashi nodded as he stood up and picked up his board then looked over his shoulder at Kankurou. "I'm ready." He mumbled and nodded down at Temari who gave him the thumbs up.

"Good luck Kaka-Sempai!" Naruto stood up and grinned. "Alright you two." He turned to face Sasuke and Neji. "Help me put up the umbrellas."

"Aw shit…" The young man with chicken ass hair muttered as he picked himself up and caught the umbrella thrown at him.

"Shut up Sasuke." Neji sighed and picked up the basket and began laying out the snacks and beach towels.

"Sasuke open your eyes and do it right!" Naruto growled, annoyance seeping into his voice.

"Stop yelling at me!" Sasuke fumed.

"I wouldn't have to yell if you'd do it right in the first place! It isn't brain surgery!"

"Dipshit." Sasuke muttered.

Then a loud thump was heard followed by a long stream of choiced words.

Olive eyes watched the young woman beside her as she watched Kakashi and Kankurou walk off. "You're really close to him aren't you?" She spoke, ignoring the bickering behind them.

"Hm?" Sakura turned her attention to Temari.

"Kakashi. You're really close to him."

Pink hair swayed as she nodded. "He's like…well honestly he's like a father to me." She smiled happily.

Temari nodded and stretched out her long legs to catch the sun's rays. "That's nice." She mumbled. "To have someone like that…a father figure…."

A frown graced the pinkett's lips as her words sunk in. "You don't…have a father?"

"…No…not really…"

"So it's just you and Kankurou?"

Temari chewed her lower lip before taking a deep breath. "And my brother…younger brother…" She murmured. "He's uh…younger than Kankurou...actually he should be about your age."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Seven minutes till we begin! Everyone get in your places!" The announcer warned.

"Hey Kakashi." Kankurou nudged the older man. "Over there." He nodded in the direction to the furthest end.

Silver hair swayed as he nodded and followed him through the crowd, dodging men and woman and they scurried to find a place in the lineup. Within minutes they found themselves towards the end. 'Didn't expect such a turn out…' Kakashi closed his eyes and accidently brushed shoulders with someone.

"Shit man! Oh fuck!" The person cursed.

Dark eyes snapped open but found no one in his line of vision. '…That was weird…' He blinked and walked up to the line and sighed then turned to face the person at his side. '…Shit…' A dark look crossed Kakashi's face as his gaze landed on the man in front of him. 'This isn't good.' He ran his hand though his messy locks. 'This isn't good at all.'

He examined the man standing in front of him, hoping his eyes were deceiving him. The man was tall and lean, with jet black, inky hair pulled into a loose pony tail at the nape of his neck. His skin was pale, dark eyes were sunken in, his nose was defined, his cheek bones high and proud. His chest was colorless and flat, and his black and red trunks hung low on his hips.

"Itachi." Kakashi spoke slowly.

"Kakashi."

"I thought I told you guys to stay away." Kakashi spoke, his voice low and gravely.

Itachi worked his jaw. 'What Deidara said was true then…Sakura must be here somewhere…' His eyes darted around only to land back on the man in front of him. "How was I supposed to know that you'd be here?" He inquired coolly.

A young man wearing a mask appeared at Itachi's side. "Itachi-Sempai! Deidara-Sempai said…" He trailed off as soon as he noticed Kakashi standing there. "Uhm…they…" He gestured behind him.

Kakashi's jaw worked as he looked over their shoulders and saw the group of people he was pointing at. "Don't you people think you've cost the girl enough pain?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

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	5. Chapter 5

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 5

Kakashi growled deep in his throat as his fingers curled into a fist, and his eye twitched in aggravation. "Itachi Uchiha…" He snarled.

"Kakashi Hatake…" Itachi growled, his lip twitching slightly. "You can't hold me responsible for this."

"Yes. Yes I can." Kakashi worked his jaw and tackled Itachi to the ground, successfully punching the dark haired male in the nose.

Itachi gasped in pain and clutched his now bleeding nose as he tried to push Kakashi off of him, failing miserably as Kakashi took another swing at him and just barely missed his jaw. "Shit!" Itachi cursed as he narrowly avoided the punch and pushed the man off of him as Kakashi crumbled to the ground in pain.

"Fuck!" Kakashi spat and clutched his now bleeding knuckles in pain and glared at the object in front of his face. 'Stupid rock…' He snarled and grabbed Itachi's shoulder before he stood up and aimed a swift kick to his stomach.

Itachi groaned as his leg connected with his abdomen but grabbed Kakashi's wounded hand and punched him with the other.

"What the hell?" Kankurou's surprised voice fell on deaf ears as the two sprawled out on the ground and went at it again, Itachi elbowing the spiky haired male in the gut and aiming another punch at his nose.

Kankurou cursed under his breath as he grabbed Kakashi by his shoulders and pulled him off the bleeding Itachi sprawled out on the ground. "Shit man!" The brown haired male muttered as he placed himself in front of Kakashi. "What the hell did he do to piss you off?"

"He fucked with my daughter." He spat then turned his back to them and stalked off, clutching his now broken knuckles and bruised cheek.

A blank look crossed the brunette's face as he watched him retreat. 'He has a kid?' He then eyed Itachi beside him. 'And he fucked with her?' 'Did he mean it figuratively or literally?'

"Fighting is strictly prohibited!" The announcer interrupted his thoughts.

"What?" Kankurou stared at him confused. "I wasn't fighting…"

The announcer frowned down at him and crossed his bulky arms over his finely chiseled chest. "Right…you, that silver haired guy and you." He glared down at Itachi who was wiping some blood off of his mouth. "Are disqualified. Get out of here before I call the cops."

Kankurou gawked up at the announcer as he walked away rubbing his neck muttering something about stupid outsiders and testosterone. 'Fucker!' He worked his jaw and looked over at Itachi then shook his head and grabbed Kakashi's disguarded surf board.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Oh my God! Sempai!" Sakura gasped and jumped up the moment her eyes landed on the staggering Kakashi. "What happened to you?" She ran up to him and gingerly touched his now swollen knuckles.

"Ahh, don't touch Sakura." He mumbled squinting down at her in pain and pulled his hand back.

A crestfallen look covered her face as she pulled her hands back. "Sorry…what can I do?"

Kakashi bit his lip, drawing more blood and gingerly wrapped his good arm around her shoulders then began walking back with her to the group. "Sorry for that." He began, breathing deeply. "I think I broke my knuckles, and possibly chipped my tooth."

"What?" Panicked emerald eyes darted up to his face as she wrapped one arm around his waist. "Sempai what happened?" She asked worriedly, her fingers automatically reaching up to touch his bruised cheek.

"Kaka-Sempai!" Naruto's loud voice cut through their thoughts as he ran up to them. "Holy shit-what the hell happened to you?" He stared at Kakashi's bleeding lip.

"He got into a fight." Kankurou's annoyed voice answered from behind.

"A fight?" The baby blue eyed male repeated confused. "That's not like you." He stated, gently pushing Sakura out of the way so that Kakashi can lean on him. "With who?"

"Some asshole." The silver haired male gritted out.

Behind their hobbling form trailed Kankurou pulling both his and Kakashi's surf boards, a sour look glued to his face.

"Whoa Sempai you look like shit." Sasuke gaped at him and pulled out a handkerchief.

"Thank you for that Sasuke." Kakashi mumbled sourly and watched as Naruto took the cloth and wrapped it around his bleeding knuckles.

A long haired brunette male stepped forward, a series look on his face as he approached them. "Who did this to you?" He spoke.

"Some guy with black hair." Kankurou answered automatically, walking past them and up to Temari who stood near their little camp and dropped their surf boards on the ground.

"Can we not talk about that asshole?" Kakashi grunted in pain as he leaned further on Naruto. 'Shit I really broke my knuckles…'

Naruto glanced up at him and nodded. "Alright, we need to get you to the hospital anyway…Sasuke come on." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "Can you go inside and grab my car keys? I'll take him to the car alright?"

The midnight blue haired male scowled. "Why me?"

"Just do it."

"No."

Sakura scowled at Sasuke and stepped up to Naruto. "Lazy ass! Kaka-Sempai's injured and-"

The midnight blue haired idiot took the keys and hung his head. "Fine." He muttered then stalked up to the house, leaving Naruto to help Kakashi to the car.

Naruto shifted his grip on Kakashi and turned to Sakura as they slowly walked up along the beach. "You'll be okay here with Neji?"

"I can walk just fine Naruto." The silver haired male tried to remove his arm only to have it trapped by Naruto's hand. "Relax Sempai. I don't know what the hell's wrong with you so I'm not taking any chances."

Sakura tucked a strand of her long pink hair behind her ear and nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"It's not like he broke my ribs I-"

"Shut it Sempai." Naruto cut him off. "You sure Saku?"

"We'll stay here with her." Temari jumped in. "Right Kanky?" She turned to face a very nervous Kankurou standing off to the side. "Kanky?"

"What? Oh…" He frowned. "Do you want me to come along? I mean I did see what happened…in case there are any questions you know?"

Kakashi shook his head as Naruto leaned him up against the car. "No, its fine thanks." He breathed deeply and his good hand gingerly rubbed his rib cage. 'I wonder if I cracked a rib? That wouldn't be good…'

Emerald eyes followed his movements as a shallow breath caught in her throat. 'Oh Kaka-Sempai? What the hell happened to you? You never lose your temper and get into random fights like this…' She wrapped her arms around her body and bit her lip. 'This guy…this guy you met…he-'

"Sakura you okay?" Temari's concerned voice brought her back down to earth. "You don't look so great…here, why don't you go on inside and Kanky and I will clean up okay?" She placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

In front of her Kakashi groaned in pain as he slowly brought a hand up to her and brushed it against the side of her cheek. "Yeah, go on inside Sakura…and stay there till we get back okay?"

Pink hair whirled in the slight wind as her eyes moved up to stare into his dark orbs. "…Why?"

Olive eyes danced nervously between the pinkett and the silver haired male. Temari chewed her lower lip and gently nudged the pinkett. "Why don't you come on over to our place instead? It might be easier…we can watch some movies, eat cake, what do you say?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A faint hum of Metro Station's Wish we were Older echoed through the silence of the living room where Sakura sat. 'Oh! My phone…' She dug in her hoodie pocket and pulled out her glowing cell and tapped the screen. "Hello?" She answered softly.

"_Hey Saku?" _Naruto's exhausted voice sounded though her phone.

"Naru Naru!"

"_Yeah it's me." _He heaved a heavy sigh.

"Is everything okay? You don't sound too…good…" She sniffed softly.

"_Huh? Oh no, sorry Sasuke's just a pain in the ass is all." _He inhaled deeply. _"Anyway I just spoke with the doctor and he said Kaka-Sempai will be alright. He has a damaged rib, his knuckles are broken, a busted lip but his teeth are all fine, and a black eye." _

Relief flooded Sakura as the news sank into her brain. "He'll be fine…he'll be fine-that's great!" She gushed, her cheeks turning a light pink. "I was so worried…"

"_I know…so where are you?" _

"At Temari's, she insisted that I come over as soon as I was done with my shower." Emerald eyes darted up to the blonde woman placing two steaming cups of tea on the table in front of her. "Why?"

Shuffling was heard on the other end of the line before he answered. _"No reason really. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Where's Neji?" _

Sakura fiddled with the edge of her hoodie and tucked her legs beneath her as she settled into the couch. "He's with Kankurou upstairs doing something or the other…I really don't know…"

"_Ah…well alright then…we should be home early tomorrow morning." _He sighed.

"Tomorrow? You're not coming back tonight?" Surprise lit up in her eyes.

"_No…its real dark over here in this district and Sasuke forgot to put gas in the car-"_

"_I said I'm fucking sorry!" _Sasuke's booming voice echoed though the phone.

"_Sir! Keep your voice down your in a hospital!" _A young woman's voice chided him.

"_So we'll have to stop and put gas…plus I want to make sure Sempai's alright you know? So we'll just crash here the night and head back around four in the morning." _

"Oh…" Disappointment seeped into Sakura's voice. "Alright, makes sense."

"_Why don't you stay with Temari? I'm sure she'd be glad for the company."_

"I suppose…"

More shuffling was heard on the other end. _"Sorry Saku but I should go. The doctor is talking to Sasuke. I'll call you if there are any more developments okay?"_

"Okay."

"_I love you Saku." _

"Love you to Naru Naru. See you later." She sighed then clicked the end button.

Olive eyes stared worriedly at the pinkett twiddling with her cell phone beside her. "Sakura? What did he say?"

Pink hair swayed as Sakura looked up at Temari. "He uh…Kaka-Sempai will be okay." A small smile found its way to her lips. "But uh, they'll be spending the night at the hospital…so…"

"Oh? Well you can spend the night here." Temari cut her off, a grin sneaking its way onto her face. "What do you say? It'll be fun. Kankurou!" She bellowed, turning to face the stairway that led upstairs.

"What Temari?" Kankurou's annoyed voice traveled down.

"Sakura and Neji will be spending the night!"

"Alright!"

"What?" Sakura gasped. "No! I-"

Temari waved off her protests. "So start making dinner!"

Grumblings were heard before heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs. "You know you're a very demanding woman Tem." He muttered before clicking on the kitchen light.

Temari tossed her short blonde hair over her shoulder. "Yeah and you're a very lazy man."

"Rather be lazy than demanding. I pity the guy that marries you." He scoffed and lit the stove. "I don't know how you put up with her Saku." He winked at her from across the counter. "Any way's how do you feel about spaghetti and meatball?"

A light tinge of pink dusted her cheeks as she nodded. "Sounds good…thanks…"

Kankurou laughed a dishearten laugh and ran a hand though his messy hair. "No problem. So Kakashi's doing okay?"

"Mhm." Emerald eyes traveled to the now silent woman beside her. She watched as Temari stared vacantly at the coffee table in front of them, her eyes subconsciously following the steam of the coffee as it traveled out of the cup then dispersed into the air. "He's uh…got a wounded rib…broken knuckles…and some minor bruises…"

"Ahh…" his deep voice was lost in the kitchen as he moved around, gathering the cooking supplies. "I thought his broke some knuckles. What with the way he was bleeding back there and all."

"Yeah…Temari?" Sakura called gently, not wanting to startle the woman.

"Hm?" Temari turned to face her, an empty look in her eyes.

"You okay?"

A loud noise from upstairs followed by a groan and a few choiced words brought the blonde haired woman back to earth. "You okay up there Neji?" She glanced at the dark staircase.

"…No…"

"Oh...well you're good enough since you can talk." She shrugged and took her mug of tea off the table. "Hey drink your tea Sakura; it's going to get cold."

"Right." The pinkett took her mug and sipped it. "It's good thanks."

Temari smiled and nodded. "Thanks…Hey Neji come on down here and join us."

A few more choiced words followed by heavy footsteps and then he finally emerged. "Thanks for the concern you all. It's greatly appreciated." He muttered and began to fix his tangled hair.

"Now you know what I live with." Kankurou grumbled from the kitchen.

Neji scoffed. "Well I didn't exactly hear you running to come see if I was alright."

The messy brown haired male snorted. "You're a man aren't you?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Olive eyes stared out at the multicolored ocean reflecting the dark rays of the coming moonlight and the sadness from her heart. She shifted uncomfortably and pulled her Mest hoodie closer to her body.

"Hey Temari? You okay?" Sakura's gentle voice came from behind her.

"Oh…" She turned to see the pinkett standing there, her face hidden in the dark while the bright light from inside shown behind her, enveloping her small form in a halo of dark and light. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." She accepted the coffee then turned back to the ocean.

Beside her Sakura stepped up and leaned on the balcony, a mug resting between her hands. "You know, just because life sucks right now doesn't mean you have to be strong." She spoke softly, playing with the sleeves of her baggy Black Veil Brides hoodie that hung loosely on her small frame.

"What?" Temari frowned down at the young woman beside her.

"I don't mean to pry-or say anything out of place but…" Green eyes darted up to her. "In your eyes, your face, your movements…I can see you aren't happy. Something's bothering you…something big. But just because things aren't all right now-at the moment-you don't have to act like they are." She turned to fully face Temari. "It's okay to cry. Even for a moment…its okay to let the tears stream down you face and let the stars see you weep under the moonlight." Her voice fell soft as she reached up to pat her shoulder. "You don't need to be strong in front of me…or the moon."

Temari bit her lower lip as tears began to sting the back of her eyes. 'How did she…' She breathed deeply as her chest began to tighten up and her hands began to twitch nervously.

Beside her Sakura lowered her head, a soft look on her face. "How about I go get a tissue box?" She murmured softly and moved to grab a patio chair for Temari to sit on.

"…Yeah…" The older woman answered and sat down, her lips quivering as the tears streamed down her face and into her coffee cup.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A woman with short blue hair stood in front of a flat screen sixty inch television glaring at a group of men mulling around the couch. She wore a white sundress that went down below her knees with a white Lilly in her hair. A look of pure annoyance crossed her face as the once quiet room fell deathly silent.

"Well?" She spoke, her lips barely moving.

"Uhm…" A young man with long blonde hair pulled up into a high pony tail on his head shifted uncomfortably. "See…we think Sakura's here…"

She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Think?"

"Konan." A man with inky black hair spoke, his voice low and hollow. "Must you really be so…"

"So what Itachi? What?" She turned her wrath on him. "So pissed? Well yes I must be because the agreement was that we never see her again! Never interfere in her life!" Her hands automatically went to her hips. "And what do you do? You go and get in a fight with her father!"

The men shrank back into their respected chairs.

"Oh shit Bob! Bitch's gone psycho!" A man with silver hair mumbled desperately into a teddy bear's fur he held clutched in his arms.

Konan turned to face him. "What was that?"

"Nothing…" He mumbled.

"Kisame saw her!" The young man with long blonde hair yelled.

"What?" She whirled to face a man with tinted blue skin. "You saw her?"

"Yeah I thought I saw her…which is why I nose dived into the sand…" Kisame admitted slowly, sinking down into the loveseat.

Itachi stared at his friend. "And you thought this information irrelevant because?"

"I don't know…I wasn't thinking…I panicked…"

"Obviously." Itachi muttered and turned away from him, leaving him to face Konan's wrath all on his own. Unconsciously he rubbed his forearm where a bruise was beginning to form. 'Maybe I should go to the hospital and get this checked out…'

"Yeah well Itachi got into a fight with Kakashi!" Kisame pointed at the brooding Uchiha.

Konan twisted her lips. "I know." She glared at Itachi, her blue eyes roaming over his swollen lip, red nose, bruised cheek. "You need medical attention." She stated blandly, watching as he coved the bruise on his forearm.

"I'm fine." He worked his jaw. 'If I'm going to the hospital I'm going on my own.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

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Check out the link in my profile.

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	6. Chapter 6

L.

I apologize for the lag in updates recently. Hopefully the bonus story I put up will make up for the lack of updates. The story is called Salvation. Check it out and let me know what you all think.

Light after Dark

Chapter 6

Moonlight streamed through the open drapes and onto the pristine white bed sheets of a silver haired male. He lay still under the blankets, his messy silver hair falling over one bandaged covered eye, one red arm draped over his stomach with a cast covering his wrist and up the forearm. His lone, visible, blood shot eye drifted close then shot open when the door creaked open to reveal his blonde haired friend.

"Hey Sempai." Naruto spoke, his voice low, testing the air. "You awake?" He asked, one hand shoved into his pant pocket. Baby blue eyes glanced around the white room, noting the only source of light came from the window. 'Why aren't the lights on?' A slim brow rose as he clicked on the lights and closed the door.

"Naruto." Kakashi called as he slowly sat up in bed, grimacing as the white sheets fell around his slim, bandaged waist.

"Hey come on Sempai don't move around." The spiky blonde rushed to his side and caught his shoulder.  
"Your ribs are damaged remember." He reached behind him and adjusted the pillows.

Kakashi frowned, cringing as the cuts on his lower lip ripped open. "Naruto listen to me, they are here."

Naruto frowned and pulled one of the two visitor chairs over to the bed. "Who?" He asked, sitting down.

The silver haired male leaned forward, ignoring the pain in his stomach. "Itachi…Deidara…all of them. They were at the beach."

A dark look crossed Naruto's face as he leaned back in shock. "Them? Then you got into a fight with…" He trailed off.

"Itachi."

Behind Naruto the door opened and Sasuke entered holding two cups of coffee. "Hey." He frowned. "What's going on? Why's the atmosphere here so…" He trailed off, his eyebrow raised in suspicion. 'What the fuck happened while I was gone?'

Awkward silence.

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably in the open doorway. "…So no one's going to answer me…?"

Naruto turned around, his face devoid of any emotion. "Come in and shut the door Sasuke."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Temari took in a deep breath and dabbed the Kleenex at the edges of her eyes before beginning. "My uhm…our younger brother…he…he had a real hard childhood…" Sakura furred her eyebrows and settled into the chair. "He had it the hardest out of us all…our mother died giving birth to him…and our father blamed him though it was actually his fault…"

Sakura nodded, encouraging her to continue. "See, our father use to beat our mother…you know…abuse." She took a deep breath. "He was the president of Sabaku Corporation."

"You mean The Sabaku Corporation? The only company to actually make substantial connections with America and Japan for international trading?" The pinkett leaned forward, her emerald eyes wide in astonishment.

Temari smiled a small, proud smile and nodded. "Yeah…I take it you follow the stock market huh?"

Pink hair swayed as she nodded bashfully. "Their stock went up by seven percent last time I checked…your father did that? Forged something that all the…it's amazing…permanent trading routes with America…so many have tried and none have succeeded…"

A light blush dusted over the older woman's face. "Thanks…but it wasn't our father that made that deal. It was Kankurou and I. We worked harder than he did to make it happen."

Sakura nodded. "Sorry, I just assumed because…"

"No its fine. Looking at us you wouldn't think it but…" She shook her head. "Kanky in there is the one that actually went and met the president in America. I stayed here and opened the trade route here in Japan."

"Amazing though…" Sakura sat back and pulled the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands. "That you two did that…simply amazing. You guys will go down in history for that. Especially since it was Japan that offered and not America. You guys made the first move."

Temari nodded and blew her nose in a tissue. "Our father was a good business man but a horrible dad." She hung her head, her blonde locks forming a curtain around her. "You know some people just don't have that instinct? The 'Daddy genes' as some would say? He was one of them."

Sakura nodded.

"Our mother was an amazing woman." Olive eyes turned up to face the moon shinning high in the night sky above. "She was able to raise Kanky and me all on her own."

Pink hair blew in the light wind that swept down from the mountains and out to the dark ocean. "What do you mean?" She whispered.

Temari's hand curled around the warm mug in her lap. "I don't mean that our parents divorced…I mean that she was the one we considered a parent…or at least Kanky and I did…my little brother…he…he didn't have the chance to get to know her…otherwise…otherwise…" She trailed off, her voice becoming lost in the new wave of sobs that over took her.

Sakura bit her lower lip as she took the coffee from Temari's grasp and replaced it with the tissue box. "Thanks…" Temari mumbled and buried her face in a bundle of tissues. After a few moments she regained enough control of herself to speak. "…If he only got the chance to be with her…he wouldn't have turned out the way he did…being raised by that man…"

Emerald eyes narrowed in confusion.

"It only destroyed him…he created a monster…not a son."

Sakura tilted her head in genuine confusion. 'That's a bit harsh. A monster? What is he? A serial killer or something? Surly he can't be that bad…calling your brother a monster is a bit of an exaggeration…'

"Our mother was absolutely amazing…but our father…he…he…" Temari hung her head and buried her face in the palms of her hands.

Sakura placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Well I don't know what kind of woman she really was but what I can say is that she raised some good kids." She smiled at Temari. "You're a strong, beautiful young woman Temari. You and your brother are the presidents of a very successful corporation. She would be so very proud to see you two."

Temari raised her head and looked up at the young, pink haired woman smiling down at her. "Thanks." Olive eyes turned softer as a small smile crept onto her lips."You really are an amazing psychologist Sakura…" She murmured as she wiped the last of the tears on her face.

"Thanks." The pinkett smiled softly and rubbed her forearm. "Look if you ever need to talk…" She reached inside her pant pocket and pulled out a worn card. "It's a bit worn from today but you can still see the numbers." A tinge of pink dusted her cheeks as she held out the card to Temari. "Just give me a call anytime. Free of charge."

A small smile graced Temari's lips as she took the card and ran her fingertips over the rough, worn edges. "Thanks…I think I will."

Sakura smiled a genuine smile up at the older woman and nodded. "Okay…"

"Hey you two!" The patio door slammed open to reveal a confused Neji leaning out. "Uh…hate to interrupt but we were wondering if you two wanted to watch Sweeny Todd Demon Barber of Fleet Street with us…" He looked between the two standing there.

Temari breathed deeply then nodded. "Sure. Sounds nice. We'll be there in a minute." She smacked her lips and squared her shoulders as Neji nodded and leaned back inside. "Oh! And tell Kanky to make some popcorn!"

"Damn you Temari!" Kankurou's voice echoed from inside.

"Oh shut up and make it!"

"Why don't you make it yourself fat ass?" He retorted, his voice becoming fainter.

"What was that?"Temari raised a slim, blonde eye brow.

"…Nothing…" His voice was hardly audible. "Hurry up you two the movie is going to start soon!" His warning fell on deaf ears as Sakura and Temari looked up into the star covered sky, their eyes sparking under the moonlight.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Bright lights lit up one entire beach house, from top to bottom; each and every light was on. The large house stood alone at the end of the beach, high above the others. The drapes were all drawn in the house, allowing only the glow of the bright lights to seep through into the night; shadowed figures moved around on all three floors, moving in all directions. One the first floor moved one male figure; he hobbled slowly into the kitchen, his pale face a mask of irritation as he cradled his arm close to his body.

"Itachi-Sempai?" A young man with messy black hair wearing an orange mask inquired as he hopped into the kitchen and leaned on the counter top.

The man with inky black hair raised a slim eyebrow at him and stiffly stuck his car keys in his pant pocket. "Out."

"Where?" He persisted.

"Out." Itachi stated then brushed past him to leave.

"Can Tobi come?"

"No."

"Are you going to the hospital?"

"Itachi's going to the hospital?" A young man with long blonde hair interjected as he walked into the room and between them to the refrigerator.

"You finally going to the hospital huh Itachi? Kakashi really did a number on you didn't he?" Kisame laughed mockingly as he casually leaned on a nearby wall. "Should I go get Konan?"

Dark eyes narrowed at the large man mocking him, leaning against the far off wall, a snide grin glued to his wide lips. "I'm going out. End of story." He turned and opened the door. "If you all want to go running off to Konan and tell her that I left go out tonight go right ahead children. But don't drag me down with your fairytales." With that he strode out the door, biting his lower lip in pain.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A woman with long blonde hair pulled into two low pony tails sat behind a large oak desk with stacks of paper in front of her. Her face was a mask of displeasure as she poured herself a cup full of Sake. In front of her sat two women staring at her; one had short black hair and the other had long, indigo locks.

"Lady Tsunade…" The woman with short black hair called gently.

"What Shizune." She growled back, swirling the cup of sake before downing it in a single gulp.

"What are we going to do…?"

"About?"

"About her application." Shizune stood up and pulled a document from a stack. "We…we can't very well accept her…"

Behind her the younger woman stood up and moved to the other stack and began rummaging through it. "I…I saw another woman who might be good enough…" She stuttered.

"No one would be good enough as her. She was perfect." Tsunade sighed and poured herself another cup. "She was absolutely perfect for the job…she made them all so easy to handle…she knew how to control every one of them…"

Shizune heaved a heavy sigh and placed the document in front of her. "We don't necessarily have to worry about them anymore." She tucked a stand of her black hair behind her ear. "They're all gone now."

Tsunade stared down at the application placed in front of her and grabbed the bottle of Sake. "No. Not all Shizune."

"Hm?"

"Two still roam these halls."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A young man with midnight blue hair styled like a chicken's ass heaved a heavy sigh as he kicked Kakashi's door closed then leaned against the wall. 'The hell is going on in this place?' He breathed deeply, closed his eyes and crossed one leg over the over and leaned his entire weight against the wall. Suddenly he felt something heavy kick against his foot.

"The fuck?" A pissed off, low voice growled as his eyes shot open and a pale arm came into focus.

"Hey you're that guy Kakashi beat up…" The midnight blue chicken assed haired male stated, one eyebrow rose as he took in the man that tripped over his outstretched foot. He had inky black hair that fell in his insomniac eyes, bruises forming on his sickly pale face and a bleeding lip. '…And that guy from…the asylum! What the fuck-'

"What the hell is wrong with you idiot." The man stated as he stood straighter, his eyes closing in pain as wiped the blood off of his lips and breathed deeply. "Don't stick your feet out in a hospital." He muttered darkly and moved to walk away.

"Sasuke what's t-" Naruto leaned out the door and his jaw slackened. "You." He spoke darkly and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. His baby blue eyes quickly took in Itachi, noting his swollen jaw, bruised lip, pale face, the slight hunch and swollen eye. "You're the one Kakashi got into a fight with."

Itachi scoffed and tittered forward. "I'm busy." He muttered and slowly walked closer to them.

Naruto smirked. "He really did a number on you didn't he? Itachi Uch-"

"Nurse!" Itachi cut him off and called for a nurse, a dark look entering his eyes. 'Idiot!' He breathed slowly. "Nurse I need some help!" He nodded at a young nurse not too far off; she blushed lightly and nodded then strode up to him and placed her arm around his waist. "Are you okay to walk sir? Should I get a doctor? What room are you in?"

Inky black hair fell into the man's eyes and he looked down at the nurse and opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off by Naruto's deep voice. "Hold on a minute." He strode up to him. "What happened to our agreement?"

"Pardon me sir." The nurse cut in, a light blush on her cheeks as she stared up at him, taking in his toned body, tanned skin, and sparking baby blue eyes. "But I really think this conversation can wait. He needs to see a doctor."

"I apologize Miss." Naruto smiled a charming smile down at her. "But this is rather important. It'll only take a moment if you will."

"Oh uhm…" He sent her another heart throbbing smile. "I suppose…"

"Thank you Miss." He winked then re-directed his attention to a very annoyed Itachi. "So what happened to the little deal of ours?"

Just then Sasuke walked up, a frown on his face. "What deal?"

"Not now." Naruto sent him a sideways glance before he turned back to Itachi. "So what happened huh? You guys just can't stop? Do you have some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder or something?"

Itachi's dark eyes bore into baby blue orbs. "This was not planed I assure you." He muttered, a sad look entering his eyes. "We have no intention of ever seeing her again."

Naruto leaned back, a grim mask on his face. "Today was some sort of fluke then?"

"Yes."

He shoved his hands into his pant pocket as Sasuke turned and walked a few feet away only to turn around once again. "Then how many more flukes are we to expect? This can't keep happening. A deal was made. Uphold your end. You all got what you needed from her so leave her alone."

Sasuke frowned as he eyed the man his best friend was talking to. 'Who the hell is he? Why is he…vaguely familiar?' He sighed and shook his head and turned his back to them and proceeded to the validation desk. 'Whatever. Can't be all that important if I can't remember.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Kakashi cracked one eye open as he heard the door creek. "Hm?" He groaned tiredly.

"Don't worry its just me." A familiar voice spoke quietly.

"Naruto?"

"Yup." He heard him sit down next to him. "So how are you feeling?"

The silver haired male shifted slowly. "Good as can be. Why? You and Sasuke heading back?"

Naruto shrugged casually and kicked off his shoes then sunk down in the chair and placed his feet on top of the bed. "No…we'll stay here the rest of the night then head back early in the morning."

Kakashi nodded slowly as a still silence fell around them. 'Something isn't right…something happened.' Just then the door opened to reveal Sasuke. "Hey." Sasuke muttered as he shoved his hand in his pant pockets and strode up to the bedside. "So who's Itachi?"

Baby blue eyes rose to look up at his best friend standing beside him glaring down at Kakashi. "Why?"

Onyx eyes darted down to the spiky blonde then back up to the incapacitated man lying on the hospital bed. "Who is he?"

Dark eyes focused on the ridged Uchiha. "He is Itachi. A member of the Akatsuki organization." Was all he said before his eyes slid close.

Sasuke scowled. "I know that but who is he really? What's his last name? Where did he come from."

"Does Kaka-Sempai look like a history book to you?" Naruto jumped in and slapped his arm. "Look he's tired and in pain. Leave him alone Sasuke."

Sasuke huffed and leaned back, crossing his pale arms over his chest. "Like I give a shit if that stupid idiot is in pain."

Baby blue eyes narrowed. "What the fuck is wrong with you? He basically was your mentor and you don't give a shit about him? Did you fall on your head?"

"What?" The midnight blue haired male raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? That man was not my mentor."

"Yes he was!" Naruto stood up, leaning forward so his face was in his best friends. "I should know Sasuke I was there!"

Kakashi heaved a heavy, painful sigh as he slowly sat up, opening his eyes. "Would you two kindly shut your traps? I'm trying to sleep here."

Naruto whirled to face the silver haired male lying on the bed. "This idiot is completely mental." He growled. "He has no respect for you Sempai. None!"

"What the hell are you going on about? Of course I respect him!" Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shoulder and pulled him back. "I was talking about Itachi!"

Understanding crept into the blonde's eyes as his words sank into his head. "Oh…I was talking about Kaka-Sempai…"

"And I was just about to call the police and have you two escorted off the premises." A highly annoyed voice spoke from the doorway.

Awkward silence.

The two young men slowly turned to face a female nurse standing in the doorway. She was a young woman, with semi pale skin, on her small, annoyed face rested glasses; her dark hair was pulled into a neat bun high on her head. "Stop making so much noise." She stated slowly, as though they couldn't understand. "In case you didn't know, there are other patients in this hospital who are trying to sleep." With that said she shut the door and walked away.

Awkward silence.

"I told you two to shut your mouths." Kakashi muttered before he settled back down under the white sheets and closed his lone, visible eye.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

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	7. Chapter 7

L.

Hello, summer's almost over and stuff.

How are you all doing?

Light after Dark

Chapter 7 

Early morning rays of light shone through the open blinds and into the eyes of a young pink haired woman. Slowly she rose, stretching lightly and yawning. 'Morning already?' Drearily she looked around at the strange setting; noting that she was not at home nor Naruto's beach house. 'Wha?' As sleep unclouded her senses she began to observe her surroundings.

She sat in a pure white king sized bed situated in the middle of a pale lavender room, surrounding her on the bed were large white pillows and blankets. Mounted on the walls were abstract paintings and snapshots from the late nineteen eighties, giving the room an airy feeling. Beside the bed stood one lone white table, atop it sat a bedside lamp and an alarm clock. The flooring was fully carpeted, but scattered about it were various articles of clothing; her socks, handkerchief, and hoddie lay on the ground.

Then light knocking sounded at the door. "Come in." She called drearily, her voice still lathered in sleep. The door slowly clicked open. "Hey Sakura you up yet?" A woman with short, spiky blonde hair peaked into the room. "It's time to get up sleepy head." She smiled, watching as confused emerald eyes landed on her.

"…Oh! Morning Temari." Sakura chirped happily and stretched her arms.

"Sleep well?" She stepped into the room, a small smile on her lips.

"Very well." The pinkett swung her legs out of bed then began to run her long, elegant fingers through her messy, tangled locks. "I was out like a rock as soon as I hit that bed." She smiled warmly.

Temari laughed and leaned against the doorframe. "That's nice to hear! The amount of money we put into this room and no one uses it…glad it didn't go to waste." She smiled.

Emerald eyes clouded in confusion. "What do you mean no one uses it?"

"We-I designed it for guests…as you can see." She gestured around the room. "But it's never been used. We don't exactly have many friends to vacation with." She shrugged casually. "But so long as you liked it and slept well it's not a waste."

Sakura frowned. 'Well that's odd…why not? They're so nice and easy to be around…'

"Anyways Kankurou's up and making breakfast. Your staying right?"

"Huh?"

"For breakfast. I mean we haven't heard from Naruto so why not stay for breakfast?" Temari persisted, her olive eyes boring into the pinkett's. Sakura nodded, a far off look in her orbs. "Sure. Sounds nice."

"Okay." Temari pulled down the sleeves of her light purple, off the shoulder sweater. "I'll tell him." She turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sakura hopped out of bed.

Temari looked over her shoulder at the younger woman. "Yes?"

A light blush dusted her cheeks as she cleared her throat. "…Bathroom?"

"Oh!" Olive eyes closed in laugher as she pointed down the hall. "Sorry bout that! Down the hall on your right."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Light footsteps echoed as the pinkett walked down the stairs, her emerald eyes shining in curiosity, one hand covering her mouth, the other gliding along the length of the wall. Slowly she descended the last couple of stairs, her bare feet touching each and every step as she went. 'What is that delicious scent?' She peaked around the corner to see Temari sitting at the counter, one hand sprawled out over a napkin the other holding a hot cup of coffee. 'It's making my mouth water!'

"Hey Tem I think I heard Sakura coming downstairs." Kankurou suddenly appeared in her line of vision. "Good morning." He spoke, a grin on his face. "Now I don't know how things are done where you live but around here we don't normally sneak down the stairs like ninja's."

Sakura flushed pink as she jerked back away from his face and walked over to Temari who smiled at her. "A ninja?"

"I was not pretending to be a ninja!" The pinkett huffed, her cheeks burning red.

Kankurou chortled at her and grabbed a mug off the top shelf in the cupboard. "I never said you were pretending." He winked at her and poured her a cup of coffee. "Anyway I'm making eggs, bacon, croissants, toast and pancakes. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful!" Sakura gushed as she mixed in sugar and stirred her coffee. "That's amazing…that you can cook so well!"

"Thanks' Sakura." He smiled then looked up at his older sister who had migrated to the living room. "A little appreciation goes a long way."

Olive eyes narrowed. "Oh get to cooking already." Temari snorted. "Come in here Sakura. I found these old movies and I think they'll be fun to watch." She spoke threateningly.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Heavy knocking was heard at the front door as Kankurou pulled out a box of sugar from the cabinet.

Awkward silence.

Brown eyes darted over to his older sister and the pinkett sitting on the couch.

The knocking persisted.

Awkward silence.

"Oh don't you two worry your majestic little heads off." Kankurou muttered as he tossed the box on the counter and sprinted over to the door. "I'll just leave the cooking food in the kitchen and answer the door. Don't even think about getting up." He spat, glaring at Temari and opening the door.

"Thanks' Kanky." She sang happily.

"Yeah yeah." He sighed then looked at the figure looming in the doorway. "You okay man?" He asked slowly, taking in the body in front of him. There Naruto stood, his body swaying slightly; his normally tanned face was covered in stress marks, his usually vibrant baby blue eyes were now surrounded in dark circles. His button up hung loosely on his exhausted frame and his orange cargo shorts were covered in questionable stains.

"Hey…I'm here…to pick up Sakura…" He mumbled tiredly, his eyes drifting close only to bounce back up again.

"Okay…come inside." Kankurou grabbed his shoulder and guided his barley conscious body though the door and over to the loveseat. "Hey you two." He spoke softly, not wanting to startle the blonde.

"Naru Naru!" Sakura jumped at the sight of her best friend. "What happened to you?" She asked, moving to his side and grasping his face. "You look…"

"I'm tired Saku." He mumbled, closing his eyes and bowing his head. "So…tired…" He moved one hand to the small of her back.

"Then sit down." She instructed, running her hands down, over his shoulders and grasping his forearms. "You look like you're about to fall over."

"I'm fine Sakura." He pushed her away and rolled his shoulders. "Just tired." Naruto yawned loudly and scratched the back of his head then leaned his weight against the arm chair. "Hey…" He nodded tiredly. "We're back…Kaka-Sempai's fine…he can be released this evening…" He sighed and rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes.

Temari raised a perfect, blonde eye brow at him. "Why don't you have a seat Naruto?" She asked, walking towards him with an outstretched hand. "You don't look so…hot…" Her hand brushed his shoulder. 'And you're repeating yourself…or is that short term memory?'

"That's not nice Temari." Neji's deep voice echoed from upstairs. "Our friend's in the hospital and your making fun of how he looks?" His footsteps sounded as he jogged down the stairs. "That's really mean t-holy shit you look like crap." He stated, gaping at the spiky blonde.

"Thanks man. You really know how to cheer a guy up you know." Naruto drawled, rubbing his eyes. "Come on Saku. Let's go." He mumbled around a yawn, his eyes drifting close.

Emerald eyes narrowed into catlike slits. "Naru Naru you sit down on that couch now." Sakura demanded, her normally sweet voice sounded like a queens. "You look absolutely horrible and your swaying like you just came off an acid trip. You need to lie down and take a nap."

With that said, Naruto face planted on the couch. Within seconds he was sound asleep, a soft snore emanating from his exhausted body.

"…That was fast." Kankurou mumbled, scratching the back of his head and shrugging. "So I take it you and Neji are going to stay for breakfast after all." He raised an eyebrow and grabbed the spatula off the counter top.

Pink hair swayed as Sakura nodded, her emerald orbs trained on her blonde haired best friend passed out on the couch in front of her. She slowly let out a soft sigh, her eyes drifting close as she rubbed the side of her neck, placing on hand on her hip as she turned away.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After three hours, the spiky blonde finally woke up. He groaned tiredly as he stretched his back and rolled onto his side. Then kept rolling until he fell off the couch. "Ouch!" He sniffed and sat up, rubbing the back of his head as he looked around. 'How…when…is this Kankurou's place?'

"Hey your up." A deep voice spoke from behind him. Naruto spun around to see Kankurou looking at him. "Afternoon."

"Hey." Naruto nodded and stood up slowly. "What happened?"

Kankurou heaved a heavy sigh then hopped over the back of the couch and sat down. "You passed out." He shrugged. "But the way, you left Sasuke locked out of your house for about half an hour."

A blank look crossed the blonde's face. "Oh…" He slowly reached inside his pant pocket and pulled out a small ring of keys. "…Half an hour?"

The brown haired male nodded. "Yeah…eventually he figured out to come over here and see what was going on."

"Ah…" Naruto nodded then walked over to the front door. "Where is everyone?"

"Well…let's see…Temari took Sakura to go tanning…Neji and Sasuke are sulking under the rocks…and…I came in here to make lunch because I'm abused like that." Kankurou nodded sourly.

Blonde hair swayed as Naruto nodded and rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes. "Alright. Better go get Kaka-Sempai then…"

A confused look crossed the brown haired males face. "I thought you said evening. It's now lunch."

Baby blue eyes slid close. "Yeah but I need to check him out and shit."

"Oh."

"Yeah, tell Saku we'll be back soon." He called, opening the door then stepping though.

"Hey wait you should eat first."

"I'll eat later."

"I'm making pasta."

"Later."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A black Maserati GranTurismo rolled up slowly into the driveway and parked, inches from Naruto's bright orange Lamborghini Gallardo. The driver's door opened to reveal the spiky blonde haired young man wearing a scowl on his tanned face. "Would you please shut it Sasuke?" He asked, his voice laced with venom as he slammed his door shut and moved to the back seat and opened the door.

"I just want to know who this guy is." The midnight blue haired male growled as he kicked open the passenger door then slammed it shut.

Baby blue eyes rolled as he helped Kakashi out of the back seat; he grabbed his good arm and pulled his up then leaned his against the side of the car. "And we should know who he is because we're psychic's right?" He muttered dryly, reaching back into the car and pulling out a crutch. "Sasuke give it a rest. I only knew the guy because Sakura worked with him. If you want to know more hire a private investigator."

Sasuke went silent for a moment before mumbling. "…Not a bad idea…"

"I was joking." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell are you so interested in him anyway?"

Sasuke glowered. "He seems familiar is all…like someone I use to know but forgot."

"You ever stop and think that if he knew you he would have said something?" The blonde haired male asked, locking the car then helping Kakashi walk to the house.

"No."

Baby blue eyes rolled as he paused in step, glancing over at the silver haired male struggling to walk beside him. "Kaka-Sempai why don't you just hang out here? I'll send Sasuke with a chair and I'll go get Saku and Neji."

Kakashi sighed and nodded. "Sounds good."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kakashi heaved a heavy sigh as he leaned against the car door and rubbed his ribs. He watched as Sakura and Naruto walked towards him, sad smiles on their faces as they bid goodbye to their newfound friends. "You in pain?" A low voice beside him asked.

"Why?" He asked, looking down at the spiky midnight blue haired young man leaning on the car beside him.

"Just asking."

The silver haired male sent the man beside him a sidelong glance.

"What?" Sasuke shifted uncomfortably.

"Weren't you supposed to get me a chair?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"It was real nice meeting you guys." Sakura smiled warmly and moved to hug Temari then Kankurou.

"It really was." Temari hugged back.

"We should hang out sometime." Kankurou offered, shaking Naruto's hand and nodding over at Kakashi.

"Yeah, I agree." The baby blue eyed male slapped him on the back and laughed. "Here, let me get your number."

Temari pushed through them and walked up to Kakashi. "No need, Sakura here gave me it yesterday." She spoke before gingerly hugging him then stepping back. "It was a real pleasure meeting you Kakashi." She smiled. "Get better and hope to see you soon."

Kakashi nodded, his eyes crinkling at the sides. "Same here." He spoke, his voice low and deep.

Naruto looked between the two girls then shook his head. "Women…always doing things without telling anyone else…" He sighed then smirked. "Okay so let's get a move on before Kaka-Sempai dies of pain."

Beside him Sakura gaped, then slapped his arm. "Naru! Not funny!"

Naruto rubbed his now wounded arm. "Sorry Saku…" He pouted. "I was only kidding…you mad?" He batted his baby blue eyes at her.

Sakura sighed and wrapped her slim arms around his neck. "I can never be mad at you…" She mumbled as she buried her nose in the crook of his neck. "Now I'm tired. Take me home."

"Yes ma'am." He laughed and wrapped his arms around her slim waist.

Beside them a deep voice cleared his throat. "I ever tell you two you guys have a very unsettling

relationship?" Neji asked coolly then narrowly dodged a head-slap by Kakashi.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A woman with long blonde hair pulled in two grimaced as she walked down the empty white halls, her footsteps echoing in the stillness, only to stop in front of a new, stark white elevator behind metal bars. Her hand automatically went to her pocket and pulled out a pass card and swiped it. Wordless she entered the elevator, shutting the bars behind her then pushing the lower level button. The elevator was brightly lit, causing a pulsing heat to emanate from the ceiling. It was still, quiet in the elevator, the only sounds was the quiet hum of the machine as it declined down to the bottom and the soft breathing of the woman.

A soft ding went off as the elevator reached the level and opened the doors, the bars still in place. Quickly and efficiently the grim woman opened the bars and stepped out then shut it behind her. She strode confidently over to a solid white door and swiped her card. The door clicked open, creaking as it went. Her golden eyes then rested on the two guards on duty. One was a rotund man with red, swirling tattoos on his cheeks and light brown hair. The other was a slim, tall man with messy dark brown hair and upside down triangle tattoos on his cheeks. They both sat behind a large desk, a mild expression of boredom on their faces.

"Hn?" She sang as she entered, closing the door behind her.

"Lady Tsunade!" They chimed, jumping up out of their seats, a look of pure terror.

"I know who I am." She stated ominously, golden eyes watched as they stumbled out from behind the desk.

"Yes ma'am." They answered, little beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

Tsunade sighed and strode down the hall, her eyes roaming the blank walls as she went. "How is he?" She asked over her shoulder. "Kiba?"

The guard with messy dark hair jogged up to her, his eyes filled with uneasiness. "He's been…quiet Milady. Very quiet." He fell in step with her. Together they walked down the hall and stopped in front of a single cell. The cell had been completely re-done. There were no more stains, the walls were now the prefect shade of pure white, the lights were significantly brighter and the windows were no longer glass, they had been replaced with tempered glass.

"So the renovations were worth it then." She murmured, more to herself as she turned to face the red headed patient staring back at her, his teal orbs emotionless as he followed her slight moments. "Good day Gaara." She spoke calmly, her voice soft and controlled.

"Hello Tsunade."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

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Be sure to check out the link in my profile.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	8. Chapter 8

L.

Hello, for those who check the Facebook fan page you would know that I have been having trouble with my wisdom tooth and I am having it removed. For those of you that didn't know I had a Facebook fan page you can check out the link in my profile. I update it with information regarding my stories, events, and such. Therefore you all would know if I'm on my death bed or not and when I will be updating.

Anyways I am going to have my wisdom tooth extracted and to those who don't know what that is; pray to God that you never have to go through the pain.

I'm informing you all of this because I am not sure when I will be able to have chapter 9 up because today I am wallowing in pain and was just barely able to function to have this up.

Light after Dark

Chapter 8

A young man with inky black hair gritted his teeth as he clutched the receiver in his hand and glanced back up at the nurse looming over his crumpled frame. "…Are you absolutely positive I can't drive home?" He asked, the words coming out slowly.

The nurse nodded, her eyes glued to him. "Sir your arm is broken. You have two broken ribs, your eye is practically swollen shut and your body is completely battered. The only reason you can even move now is because you're hopped up on morphine." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Just call someone to pick you up so that you can go home." She rubbed her neck. "And stop nagging all of the staff." She muttered under her breath.

Slowly, as though the numbers would burn his fingers; he reached forward and dialed the memorized digits and waited for the familiar voice to answer. _"Hello?" _A deep, amused voice spoke.

"Hey."

"_Why hello there Itachi." _The voice sang.

"Hi Kisame."

"_So what's up man? You've been out all night. Don't tell me you're calling me to bail you out of prison…" _He mocked.

Itachi rolled his dark, insomniac eyes. "No Kisa-"

"_Cause you know I'm broke!" _Kisame cut him off. _"I mean I just don't have the money to bail you out!"_

"Relax-I-"

"_But don't worry I've got your back-I'll tell Konan! She's got the cash kay?" _Shuffling was heard on the other end followed by muffled screams.

"Kisame I'm not in-"

"_What jail are you in? The one in town or-"_

"_Who's in jail?" _A muffled voice cut him off.

"_Itachi. Now shut up Tobi." _

"_Itachi-Sempai is in jail? NO! Deidara-Sempai! Sempai!" _

"_Fucking brat…." _Kisame muttered before sighing. _"So what jail did you say? Itachi?" _

Itachi heaved a heavy sigh before shaking his head. "I'm not in jail Kisame I'm in the hospital."

Awkward silence.

"Hello?" Itachi frowned and tapped the receiver. "Anyone there?"

"_You're in the hospital?" _Kisame repeated.

"Yeah."

Awkward silence.

"_So Kakashi did-"_

"Shut up and come get me." Was all Itachi said before he hung up the phone. Slowly he looked up at the nurse in front of him to see her staring back at him. "What?" He asked coolly, standing straighter and frowning.

"Your ride is coming?" She asked, raising a perfect eyebrow at him.

Itachi scoffed and turned around to walk back down the hall. "Yes." He stated uncomfortably. 'If it gets me out of this cursed place.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Gaara stared out at the two people in front of him, his teal eyes casually roaming over their uncomfortable forms. He noted his doctor did not shy away from him, instead she stepped closer to the lone glass diving them. Slowly, he turned away from her and glanced at the guard standing a few feet away with one hand dancing along the tasor.

With a soft sigh he stood up from the chair he was sitting on and rolled his neck, taking in his room. Instead of having four walls, he only had three. The third had been replaced with tempered glass during the renovations. Along the glass, there was a sizeable door with handles only accessible from the outside. Out of reach, running along the top of the glass were little air holes for fresh air to circulate throughout the room.

Slowly, as though his body weighed a thousand pounds, the red head walked up to the glass, his face a mask of pale, empty, emotion. He deliberately leaned down, his forehead against the cool glass; his teal eyes level with her golden orbs. "Where is she?" He whispered, his low, monotone voice.

Tsunade frowned but kept her eyes on his. "I told you she's not here Gaara." She spoke slowly.

Gaara sighed and leaned back, his teal eyes drifting close. "Then where is she?"

"She left." She answered automatically, mentally cursing her rashness.

He turned his back to her and began to pace his room. "Why?" He asked, moving as though he were stalking her as his prey.

"…"

"I asked you a question Tsunade." He turned back to her. "Why did she leave Tsunade?"

Tsunade sighed and hung her head as Kiba stepped up beside her. "She's not coming back Gaara. So forget about her."

The red headed patient strode up to her, his eyes boring down at her through the glass. "…Isn't she?" He spoke, his voice barley a whisper.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The ride back home was long and uncomfortable, after many arguments, death glares, snide comments, and a few wrong turns, they made it home. "Finally!" Sakura sighed and pulled the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of Kakashi's silver Spyker C8 Spyder. "I have no idea how you drive that thing Kaka-Sempai…I kept going over the speed limit!" Her cheeks flushed pink as she strode over to the passenger door of Naruto's bright orange Lamborghini Gallardo and opened it to see a tuff of silver hair peaking out. "Sempai?"

"I know Sakura." He chuckled as he slowly got out of the car with her help. "You kept pulling ahead of us then falling back." His eyes crinkled as he looked down at her then pulled her close for a hug. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah don't worry Saku." Naruto grinned at her over the roof of his car. "At least you didn't get lost right?"

Sakura sighed a disheartened sigh as she pulled away from Kakashi and handed him is crutch. "I suppose…" She mumbled.

Just then a dark blue Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG pulled up behind Naruto's Lamborghini, within seconds the driver cut the engine and opened the door to reveal a highly annoyed, chicken ass male. "You okay Sasuke?" The spiky blonde asked, one eyebrow raised. "You look like you stepped in dog shit."

"You can say that." Sasuke mumbled, shutting the driver's door then locking it. "So we going inside or what?"

"It's Kaka-Sempai's house Sasuke." Naruto retorted. "What shit in your soup on the way here?"

A loud screech was heard followed by several people cursing then black a Maserati GranTurismo pulled up behind Kakashi's Spyker, mere inches from its bumper. "The fuck man!" Sasuke cursed, his pale face contorting to a mask of pure dislike. "You almost rear-ended his car!"

"You cut me off on the overpass!" Neji yelled as he kicked open his car door then shut it.

"You gave me the wrong fucking directions!"

Baby blue eyes rolled as he grabbed Kakashi's arm and draped it over his shoulders. "Let's go inside Sempai. I'll make you some tea." He stated as they began to walk to the front door. Dark eyes closed in pain as he nodded and placed one aching foot in front of the other. "Sounds good." He gritted his teeth.

Sakura sighed as she ran her long fingers through her pink locks. "Boys." She spoke.

They ignored her.

Neji stalked forward, his pale eyes shining in the sun. "Don't fuck with me Uchiha."

"Boys." She tried again.

Sasuke snarled, his dark eyes hinting red. "Don't tell me who to fuck with Hyuga."

"BOYS!" Sakura yelled and stalked forward and pulled at their hair. "Both of you shut up and get in the house!" With that said she grabbed their cheeks and proceeded to drag them to the front door. "You two act like children…all because of what? Neither of you got to drive Sempai's car so you decide to have a race here? That's why he didn't let you!"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Itachi you idiot." Konan grumbled as she helped him into the passenger seat while Kisame stood laughing behind him. "How can you let it get to the point of this?" She asked, bucking the seat belt for him before leaning back out. "If you had just told me I would have taken you to the hospital and we could have avoided half of this."

Behind her Kisame doubled over in laughter, his giant, blue tinged body shaking. "M-m-sh-you look…so…f-f-…fucking…" He couldn't complete the sentence as he fell forward on his knees laughing.

Dark eyes narrowed as he stared at his friend. "Shut up Kisame." Itachi mumbled, his pale face turning away as Konan shut the car door and walked around to the driver's side. "Kisame get in or we're leaving you." She ordered, running her fingers though her shoulder length blue hair. "I need a hair cut…" She mumbled idly before sticking the key in the ignition and starting her sleek, white Hummer.

'I get injured and she's thinking about her hair?' Itachi breathed deeply as he sunk lower into the leather seat. 'What the hell is wrong with these people?' He let his eyes slid close as Konan slid onto the main road, away from the hospital.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young guard with upside down triangle tattoos on his cheeks sat down opposite his friend in the cafeteria. He breathed a deep, steady breath then reclined his neck on the wall behind him. "Hey Shikamaru." He greeted, his voice lathered in exhaustion.

"Hey Kiba." Shikamaru drawled, stirring his cup of coffee.

Slowly, Kiba raised his head, his brown eyes taking in the empty cafeteria around him. "On break?"

Shikamaru sighed and closed his eyes. "You can say that."

Kiba nodded and took note of his friend's tired frame. He wore the same guards uniform, and jacket except on him it looked completely different. With his sleek black hair pulled into a pineapple shaped pony tail, pale face, earrings and forever bored expression he looked older, wiser. On Kiba, with his tanned skin, tattoos, and naturally rugged looks and messy hair, it only made him look all the more dangerous.

"So why are you here? Shouldn't you be working?" Shikamaru asked, taking a sip in his coffee.

Kiba sighed and ran his hands though his messy locks. "I just finished with Gaara and Tsunade. I got an early break."

"Ah."

"Yeah…" Kiba nodded and sunk down in his chair. "So I heard that Sakura applied here again…"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

A quiet stillness fell around them before he spoke. "So whatever happened to her?"

The pineapple headed guard shrugged as he stood up, coffee in hand. "Who knows?" He mumbled before casually walking away.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Two days later, a young man with spiky blonde hair jogged up the front stairs to his best friend's house. His baby blue eyes shone happily in the morning sun as he took a ring of keys out of his pant pocket and stuck a key in the key hole to open the door. "Oh, mail." He mumbled as a white envelope sticking out of the black mail box caught his eye. Casually he reached over and grabbed the small stack of envelope's and packages from the box and opened the front door.

"Saku!" Naruto's voice rang through the quiet house. "Mail's here!" He shut the front door behind him and unzipped his orange and black stripped hoodie. "Hey Kaka-Sempai!" He grinned at the highly annoyed man sitting at the kitchen table watching him as he drank his morning cup of coffee.

"Sakura Naruto's here." Kakashi called half-heartedly as he sighed and flipped the page of his morning newspaper.

"Oh Sempai, please. Contain your excitement to see me." The blonde haired male mocked as he walked up to him. "Especially since the latest edition of Icha Icha Paradise has finally come and is sitting right here. In my arms." He teased, holding up the yellow package with his finger tips. "Now…whatever shall I do with this?"

Silver hair swayed as Kakashi's head shot up to stare at the package. "give it." He demanded, holding his good arm out.

Naruto sniffed as he shifted his weight and gently shook the package. "You know…this just might not be the book…it could be my new-"

"Oh just give him the package Naru Naru." Sakura's sweet voice sang from behind him. "You know you'll only piss him off."

Baby blue eyes brightened as her words sunk into his head. "Hey Saku!" He tossed the packaged to Kakashi and handed him a butter knife lying on the table then turned around to hug his best friend. "So how have you been?" He asked, taking her in. She wore a cute, pink throw on tank over a white tank that went down to just under her buttocks and black short shorts. Her long pink hair was pulled into a messy but above the nape of her neck.

"I've been good. Waiting for that acceptance or rejected letter." She sighed. "You?" She asked, taking his wrist and pulling him into the kitchen.

"I'm doing good." He stated and tossed the mail onto the counter top before walking to the refrigerator and opening it. "I'm working on finding some more books for the class you know? You never can have too many books." He chuckled and stuck his head inside the cool air.

The pinkett smiled and slid onto one of the stools before her emerald eyes caught one of the envelopes. 'This isn't…is it?' She breathed deeply as her fingers ran over the edges as she slid it towards her and picked it up. A nervous smile danced on her lips as she stared down at the pristine white envelop in her hands. On the front, stamped in the direct middle of the envelop read Kyoto's Insane Asylum. 'Oh my…this is it. This is the letter I've been waiting for. This will determine whether they accepted me or not. This is my future.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Tsunade heaved a heavy sigh as she sank down behind her desk, her face writhed with worry. 'This is absurd…' She groped at the drawer beside her leg and pulled out a half-empty bottle of Sake.

"Lady Tsunade?" Hinata knocked then entered the room, gently closing the door behind her.

"What is it Hinata?" She asked, pouring herself a cup of Sake and watching as a few drops slid out of the cup and splattered onto the papers scattered atop the desk.

"Milady!" She rushed forward to try and remove the documents before they became stained with the alcohol. "Must you always do that?" She asked, her pale lavender eyes filled with panic. "These were patient discharge forms…" Her heart palpitated as she held the now damp forms away from her body.

Tsunade shrugged and closed her eyes as she downed half the cup, reveling in the feeling as it slid down her throat and settled in her empty stomach. 'That boy…he won't ever change will he?'

A few seconds later a knock sounded at the door before a woman with short black hair entered, her arms filled with folders. "Lady Tsunade must you be so depressed?" Shizune asked, placing the folders on the coffee table off to the side then walking over to the roll away cart filled with tea cups.

"Yes Shizune. I must."

"And why is that Milady?" Shizune asked, pouring herself a cup of tea. "Would you like some Hinata?" She asked, smiling warmly at the pale girl.

"Y-Yes!" Hinata blushed as she laid out the damp documents to dry.

The woman nodded and poured another cup. "If this is about Gaara…you shouldn't worry. I mean he's much more manageable than he once was…he now cooperates with all-most of us…this is a good thing…"

Tsunade sniffed and downed the reminder of her Sake. 'Sure it is…'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Hey Saku." Naruto sang as he strode up beside her, a water bottle in his hand. "What are you doing?" He asked.

Awkward silence.

"Sakura?" He peered over her shoulder at the envelope resting in her hands. 'Is that what I think it is?' A perfect, blonde eyebrow raised as he turned the cap on the water bottle. 'Shitttttt…they wouldn't…would they?' His heart started to palpitate as his baby blue eyes scanned the addressed envelope.

Suddenly the pinkett looked up at him, her emerald eyes filled with worry. "Sakura?" He asked, patting her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Open it for me!" She shut her eyes and pushed the envelope against his chest.

"What?" He stumbled back, gripping the envelope. "Saku…"

"Please?" She batted her long lashes at him and pouted. "I haven't the heart to do it myself…"

Baby blue eyes closed in exasperation as he placed his water bottle on the counter and opened the envelope. Slowly he pulled the document out of its encasing and skimming over the letters on the page. 'We regret to inform you Sakura Haruno…' He glanced up at the pinkett standing in front of him; her small hands clasped in front of her, her shoulders hunched forward, her nose crinkled in worry. '…Damn…looks like they're keeping their distance as well...' He shook his head and continued to read. 'You did not fulfill the requirements for the open position as a psychologist in our facility. We wish you luck in your job hunt but we need you not here at Kyoto's Insane Asylum. Thank you for applying. Lady Tsunade; Administrator, Head Nurse.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

If you don't review I don't know if you want the story to continue.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, how are you guys?

As I said prier, I had one wisdom tooth extracted. Unfortunately there were complications with mine and I had to do a correction surgery as well. I am currently in the healing process.

I also know that many people are worried, nervous, and concerned about having their own removed. To anyone that has any of these concerns or simple questions about what foods they should eat, how they should go about doing things, what the process is, please feel free to ask. I am willing to give advice and tips to anyone.

I know what a stressful and confusing process it is and if I can ease your concerns or answer the smallest question I will.

Light after Dark

Chapter 9

"Deidara-Sempai! Deidara-Sempai!" A young man wearing an orange swirly mask ran through the clean, white and blue living room and into the large, white kitchen waving a card and a stack of mail. "Guess what Deidara-Sempai!" He pranced into the room, stopping in front of the island dividing him and Deidara.

A young man with long blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail on his head and crystal blue eyes frowned as he sipped his hot mug of coffee. "What do you want Tobi?" He drawled tiredly, placing on hand in his flannel pajama pants pocket.

"Deidara-Sempai!" He called again as he jumped up and down in the middle of the kitchen.

"What?"

Tobi laughed happily and shoved the card into the blonde's aggravated face. "Tobi's dentist sent Tobi a card! It's time for Tobi's dental visit!"

Deidara's eye twitched as his sipped his coffee. "Hn." Was all he answered as he tried to block the hyper, mask wearing young man out of his mind. 'Since when the hell is going to the dentist fun?' He tuned out Tobi and leaned against the kitchen sink.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Temari sighed a stressful sigh as she sunk down into the worn, black, leather loveseat in her brother's room and watched as he did a nosedive onto his bed. With care, she undid the hook on her three inch heels and gently let them slid off her feet and onto the polished wood.

Kankurou groaned in anxiety as he kicked off his brown Dockers and placed a pillow over his face. After a few seconds he removed the pillow and sat up on his elbows, his brown eyes watching his older sister.

"So…on Friday?" He asked, his voice low and steady as he watched her pull out the hair ties from her blonde hair and close her tired, olive orbs.

"Friday." She repeated.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Baby blue eyes turned downwards and stared at his feet as the white paper slid from his grasp and glided down to the floor.

"Naru?" Sakura's sweet, nervous voice called as she shook his arm. "Hey…what's…why…?" She fell silent as realization dawned on her. "I…I didn't get it did I?"

Naruto sighed a heavy sigh and took her up in his arms. He held her close and buried his nose in her flower scented, pink hair. "Sorry Saku…" He mumbled soothingly. "No…you didn't…" Slowly he began to rub soothing, calming circles onto her back. 'Thank God Tsunade…it's bad enough that those Akatsuki freaks are back in town we don't need to deal with her getting a job in your hospital…again.'

"But…but why?" She asked, her voice small and meek.

"Here, let's go insi-"

"Why? Why wasn't I good enough?" Emerald eyes glistened as tears slid down her cheeks.

Slowly Naruto breathed in, his eyes sliding close as he reached up and brushed pink strands from her face. "Saku…they…they already filled the position…that's why…"

"What?"

"Your uh…application went in a little too late is all…it probably got lost in the mail and they received it late…" Suddenly the pinkett lost it; her body wracked with sobs as her legs gave way in her fit. Her body crashed down to the ground as Naruto grabbed her and held her up. After a few seconds of her bawling her eyes out on his chest, he wrapped his arm under her legs and picked her up. "Shhhh…shhh its okay Saku…don't cry…this is just another hurtle for you to climb is all…" He cooed to her as he made his way into the living room.

Silver hair swayed as a man slowly made his way down the darkened hall of his home and into the living room where he was met with his blonde haired best friend comforting a pink haired young woman. "…Naruto?" He called to the blonde.

"Kaka-Sempai!" Naruto turned to see Kakashi leaning on a crutch a look of confusion on his pale face. His silver hair hung in his now sickly face and his flannel pajamas hung loose on his hips. Slowly he made his was further into room until he was near the kitchen entrance. "What's going on?" He asked, grunting as pain shot through ribs.

"One sec, Sakura?" The blonde brushed some strands of pink hair out of her wet face. "I'm going to talk to Kaka-Sempai for a while. Okay?" He spoke slowly as she nodded, a small hiccup escaping her now swollen lips. "Get some sleep." He murmured and kissed her forehead before he stood up and follow a tittering Kakashi into the kitchen.

"So what happened?" The silver haired male asked as he made his way over to the counter.

A look of disappointment and relief covered his face as the baby blue eyed male slid the disguarded letter to Kakashi. "Read this."

Dark eyes quickly scanned the letter in silence.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Bright, midday light shone in through the clean, clear glass of the mental hospital and reflected off the pristine white flooring. All through the large building the lights were on, shinning every dark crevice with blindingly bright light. In one hallway, a young woman walked pushing a cleaning cart down the hall to one spot covered with multicolored vomit.

With a heavy sigh, the young woman pulled her long lavender into a loose pony tail at the nape of her neck and pulled the white mask hanging around her neck up, over her nose. Slowly she got down on her hands and knees on the pristine white flooring and pulled the bucket closer to her as she grabbed the cleaning spray off the cart and began to spray the medicated puke.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"She's asleep." Naruto stated as he walked into the kitchen, stretching his arms high over his head. "Good thing too, it's almost lunch…poor thing. Her body must be exhausted and I'm sure she didn't even eat breakfast."

Kakashi shook his head as he leaned his crutch up against a wall and sat on a stool. "Why Naruto…is that an offer?" He raised a slim brow at the blonde standing in front of the refrigerator.

Naruto chuckled as he pulled two eggs from the tray and set them on the counter. "Only because I like you two Sempai."

"Count my blessings then." Kakashi smirked and closed his eyes. "What are you going to make?"

Baby blue eyes glanced at him from the cupboard. "I'm thinking fried chicken and some fries yeah?" He asked, grabbing the flour and a bowl then placing them on the counter beside the two eggs.

"I suppose…"

"What? Do you want something else?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

In the other room, lying on the couch, the pinkett groaned as she slowly woke out of her sleeping state. 'Wha?' Blearily she blinked; ridding herself of the last bit of dream and took in her surroundings. 'I'm on the chair…in the living room…' With care, she tossed the blankets off of her slight frame and sat up, letting her bare feet touch the ground. 'What happened? I think…I passed out?' Slowly she began to remember what happened, the white envelope, the letter, the rejection, her freak out. 'Oh…right…I didn't get the job…'

"Yeah…how about a barbeque?" Kakashi's deep, smooth voice flowed in from the kitchen.

'Kaka-Sempai's up?' She stood up and glanced at the clock. 'Oh wow…I was…bawling for that long huh? It's almost lunch time…'

"Aw come on! I want fried chicken!" Naruto's whinny voice echoed.

"Fine Naruto. Make fried chicken."

'Naru Naru's making lunch? Well that's good.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Naruto nodded as he walked back over to the refrigerator, his hand hovering over the door handle. "So….Sakura not getting the job…that's a good thing right?" He asked, opening the freezer and rummaging through it.

Kakashi breathed deeply as he fiddled with one of the eggs in front of him. "I think it is…I mean…her getting that job? It can only lead to trouble." He sighed heavily.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sakura's face paled as Kakashi's words sunk into her brain. "…It can only lead to trouble?" She carefully repeated his words, her lips smacking lightly as the foreign concept rolled off her tongue.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Hey lunch is ready." Konan's voice echoed through the large house as she placed the last of the dishes on the large dining table. The table was covered with a various dishes completely filled with food of all kinds, from fish, to mashed potatoes; bread, butter, slices of ham, cheese, chicken and a light soup.

"What's for lunch?" Deidara asked, strolling in through the doorway, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Does it matter asshole?" Another man with silver hair slicked back on his head retorted, a snide look on his face.

"Fuck you."

"I knew you were gay."

"Shut up both of you." Konan growled, hands on her hips. "Hidan, stop making fun of Deidara's sexual preference. Deidara, whatever you do in your bedroom is up to you. But please, keep it to yourself." She closed her eyes and shook her head.

Crystal blue eyes opened wide in horror as Hidan fell off his chair in mocking laugher. "Bu-"

"No buts' Deidara." She warned and walked through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen.

"Haha! Shit that's s-"

"Shut up Hidan!" Konan's deadly voice flowed into the room.

Awkward silence.

Just then Tobi burst into the dining room waving his dentist's card. "It's time for Tobi to go to the dentist!" He sang. Behind him walked Itachi, leaning on a crutch. "Tobi got a card from his dentist!"

"Take him to the dentist Deidara." Itachi ordered as he slowly sat at the head of the dining table, his pale face emotionless as his ribs screamed out in pain.

Shock covered the blonde's face as Tobi cheered happily in the background. "What?"

"Heh, you heard him Blondie." Kisame snickered, grabbing the biggest slice of fish off of the pile in the center of the table.

"Why me?" Deidara complained, leaning over the table, his tanned face inches from the wine cooler sitting in the middle of the table. "Why not fish guy over there?" He pointed at the blue tinged male currently stuffing his face full of fish in front of him.

"Shark!" Kisame spat, spewing bits of fish all over his plate. "And it's a genetic condition Blondie!"

Deidara cringed in disgust as he leaned back, away from Kisame. "Shark. Why not Sharky over there?" He jutted his chin at Kisame.

"No!" Tobi screamed and jumped on the chair beside the blonde haired youth. "Tobi wants Deidara-Sempai to take Tobi to the dentist!" He whined.

"Deidara take Tobi to the dentist." Konan ordered, walking through the swinging doors, her shoulder length blue hair flowing behind her.

The blonde haired male scowled and sat back in his chair. "Why don't you take him Konan?"

Konan sighed and sat down opposite Itachi, a tired look on her already pale face. "I need to have my hair cut." She ran her fingers through her blue tresses as Tobi pilled her plate high with mashed potatoes.

"So because you need a hair cut…I have to take Tobi to the dentist…" Deidara muttered, completely dumbfounded.

"You got it." Her blue eyes darted up to the blonde. "Now pass the bread."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young man in a guard's uniform breathed in the cool, afternoon air as the door clicked shut behind him. A small smile found its way to his lips as he ran his fingers through his short, messy hair and stepped into the late afternoon sunlight. "So you finally clocked out huh?" A deep voice sounded from around the corner of the building.

"Hm?" Dark eyes narrowed as a line of cigarette smoke came into his line of vision. "Shikamaru?"

Another puff then the voice answered. "Hey Kiba."

The young guard smirked before he shoved his hands into his jacket pocket and walked around the corner to see Shikamaru standing there, leaning against the building; hands shoved into his pant pockets, a bored look on his face and a cigarette dangling off the edge of his lips. "Day's finally over huh?"

Shikamaru nodded and took another drag out of the cigarette, his eyes sliding close. "Long day?"

"Yup…" Kiba sniffed the tainted air and leaned on the wall beside his friend. "So why are you out here smoking? Your shift ended half an hour ago…"

The pineapple headed male sighed and took the bud out of his mouth, watching as the lit edge got closer and closer to his hand. "Ino gets mad when I smoke in the house…"

Kiba chuckled and looked up into the orange sky, high about their heads. "Really?"

"Yeah…"

"And your car?"

"She hates the smell alright? Say's its bad for beauty…or something-I don't know…" He blew the smoke out of his nose and tossed the butt to the ground then crushed it with the heel of his boot. "Troublesome woman."

"I'd say." Kiba muttered then pulled his car keys from his pocket. "What do you say to a few drinks?"

Shikamaru glanced at him out of the corner of his eye then shook his head. "I'd love to man…" He sighed and pulled his keys out of his pocket. "But I need to pick up Ino from the salon at-" He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and glanced at the time. "Seven minutes ago."

Kiba raised an eyebrow then pushed himself off the wall. "You're in the shit hole now."

"I know."

"How's Friday sound?"

The pineapple headed guard breathed deeply then pushed himself off the wall. "Sounds good."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

Leave a review with your opinion.

Check out the link in my profile.

Please excuse this short chapter, I am in pain and my concentration is not at its best but I did want to write this for you guys.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	10. Halloween dental Appointment

Greetings all.

I deeply apologize for my lack of updates and I do hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

Chapter 11 will pick up as normal.

Please review.

Happy Halloween, be sure to get all the candy you can.

Light after Dark

Chapter 10 Halloween dental Appointment 

Deidara heaved a heavy sigh as he grabbed the freshly brewed pot of coffee off the black maker and poured himself a full mug. He closed his tired crystal blue eyes and slumped down against the counter top, his long blond hair falling in a curtain around his tanned face. 'Why the hell do I have to take the damned brat?' His long, elegant fingers closed around the handle of the mug.

Light footsteps closed in behind him before a woman's voice spoke. "You better hurry up Deidara." Konan mumbled, grabbing the pot of coffee then turning to look at him. "It's almost ten." She took a small teacup from the cupboard and filled it with coffee. "And you better change before you get Tobi. You know how excited he is about this."

Blonde eyebrows furred as he sipped his coffee. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" He asked, looking down at his black, slim fit Metallica tee-shirt and worn blue jeans.

Blue eyes scanned his frame as she sipped her black coffee. "Oh…you really were going to go in that?"

"I'm comfortable."

"I'm sure you are." She flipped her short blue hair and turned to walk out of the room. "Wear that nice blue dress shirt you bought but never wear."

"Don't want to."

Konan turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "Do you want your next paycheck?"

Deidara twisted his lips in aggravation and downed the rest of his coffee before trotting out of the room. Slowly he made his way up the stairs and into his room. He flipped on the light to reveal a large bedroom with a joining studio to the back. It was painted light blue with a king sized bed in the middle. Two desks sat in the room, one in the corner and one near the window. The one in the corner held two laptops and one desk top computer with the one near the window was piled high with books and sketchpads.

The young, blonde haired male trudged grudgingly over to his walk in closet and pulled off his Metallica shirt and unbuckled his bullet belt and tossed them to the ground. He reached his long, tanned muscular arm out to the rack and pulled out a crisp, blue dress shirt and shoved his arms into it. He then grabbed simple black slacks off the rack and put it on.

"Deidara-Sempai! Deidara-Sempai!" Tobi's loud voice rang through his closed door.

"What Tobi?" He called, annoyed as he pulled his studded belt out from the closet and looped his around his slim waist.

"Let's go! Tobi doesn't want to be late!"

Crystal eyes rolled as he grabbed his wallet off his desk and yanked open the door.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Deidara braced himself against the brisk wind as he walked down the front stairs buttoning his dress shirt. "Shit its cold." He grumbled to himself and jogged over to the silver Mazda 2010 model. 'And of course I don't even have my own car…'Behind him he heard the front door open; he glanced over his shoulder to see Tobi wearing a simple black shirt and jeans. "Get a jacket."

"Okay Deidara-Sempai!"

After a few seconds Tobi re-appeared in the doorway and bounded down the stairs over to the car. "Tobi is ready!"

Blonde hair swayed as he opened the car with a grimace. "Tobi is so excited!" The young man with an orange swirly mask on his face sang as he buckled his seatbelt. "Tobi can't wait!" He clicked the button on his door to roll down the window.

"Tobi put the window back up." A highly annoyed Deidara mumbled as he turned the key in the ignition and buckled his seatbelt.

One eye turned to the blonde. "Why? Tobi wants to see outside…" His voice was pleading.

Deidara sighed as he reversed the car out of the driveway and pulled onto the road, cool air circulating in the car. "Tobi its autumn. It's cold. Put the damned window up." He growled and turned the heat on in the car.

Grudgingly Tobi rolled up the window.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the two.

With ease, Deidara pulled onto the highway and filtered into the traffic. He casually danced between the middle and far left lane, rowing bored with the neutral traffic buildup.

"Can Tobi turn on the radio?" Tobi asked, turning his masked face to the man beside him.

"No."

Awkward silence.

"Fine." Deidara mumbled and clicked on the radio, Nickelback's Photograph coming to life.

"Tobi misses Cherry." Tobi mumbled, slumping down in the seat.

Crystal eyes flickered over to the sulking male then back to the highway in front of him. 'Where the hell did that come from?'

"Tobi misses Cherry's chocolate chip cookies." Tobi mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his head against the glass.

"Shut up Tobi." Deidara sniffed, his eyes locked on the red car in front of him. 'You aren't the only one.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Why Hello." A young woman with brown hair pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head smiled as soon as Deidara walked through the front door of the dental office. She wore a low cut, v-neck white top paired with a black cropped jacket.

Blonde hair swayed as he nodded in acknowledgement and shoved one hand into his pant pocket. "Hey." He greeted as he strolled up to the receptionist.

"Hi." She smiled and fluttered her lashes. "How can I help you?" Her voice fell low and flirtatious as Deidara leaned on the countertop, his crystal eyes filled with boredom.

"Sign in Tobi." He nodded at the young man now entering the room, his hands clutching the edges of his sleeves in excitement as he paced the waiting room.

The receptionist nodded and quickly check him off. "Okay…and who might you be?" She returned her attention to the blonde.

Deidara sighed and pushed himself off the counter. "The poor bastard that got stuck babysitting the brat."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, a young hygienist with long blonde hair pulled into a simple pony tail opened the door dividing the waiting room and smiled at them. "Are you Tobi?" She asked, glancing down at the file atop her brown clip-board.

"He's Tobi." Deidara nodded at the orange mask wearing male beside him. "Go on Tobi. Time for your appointment." He drawled.

He stood and walked three steps only to turn back to his friend still seated. "Deidara-Sempai you're not coming?"

"No."

"Come on Tobi." The hygienist motioned him through the door in front of her. "Down the hall and to the left." She pointed in front of him.

Tobi nodded solemnly and did as she said.

"You can go ahead and have a seat. I will go get your hygienist." She smiled and nodded at him.

After a few moments of silence another woman walked into the room.

"Hi." A young, happy hygienist with auburn hair pulled in a clip at the base of her neck chirped as she entered the room. "And who might you be?" She asked, taking the seat beside Tobi and turning to face him, a white surgical mask dangling around her neck.

"Tobi might be Tobi!" Tobi yelled happily.

The hygienist laughed and patted his arm. "Nice to meet you Tobi."

"Tobi is happy to meet you too Lady!"

The hygienist smiled and turned to flip open his file. "Well Tobi…it seems like it's time for a cleaning." She turned back to face him, her hands folded in her lap.

"Okay!"

"Well you need to take off your mask so I can get to clean your teeth." She smiled.

Awkward silence.

Tobi shifted uncomfortably and shook his head.

"Tobi?" The hygienist reached out to him.

"NO!" Tobi screamed and pushed her away, forcing her to crash down to the ground as he leapt out of the chair and over her form. "NO!"

"HELP!" The hygienist shrieked as she regained her senses.

"What's wrong?" Another hygienist ran into the room and kneeled beside her crumpled form.

"A patient just ran out of here!" She rubbed her back, her pale face flushed. "I don't know what happened! I just said he needed to take off his mask."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Just then, Deidara walked out of the bathroom only to see an orange and black blur run past him. '…That looked suspiciously like Tobi…' He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. 'Nah…'

"SOMEONE CATCH THAT PATIENT!" A high pitched woman's voice screeched.

"Damnit Tobi!" Deidara cursed and darted off in the direction the blur went.

After running around for a few minutes he found his friend hunched over in a corner with the candy bowel from the receptionist's desk in his arms. "Tobi." He growled, starting the young man. Tobi jumped up, the candy bowel clattering to the ground. "Goddamn Tobi what the hell is wrong with you?"

"They want Tobi to take off his mask…" He whimpered, fiddling with the Kit Kat bar in his hands.

Crystal eyes slid close in annoyance. "Then take off your mask."

"NO!" With that said Tobi took off once again. He pushed past Deidara and a very confused patient. "Tobi you need to take off your damned mask!" Deidara growled, completely exasperated as he managed to corner his friend in a room.

"No!"

"Why not?" He made a move to rip the mask off his friends face but only succeeded in kissing the far wall. "Damnit Tobi! Take the stupid mask off your fucking face!"

Tobi screamed and ran out off the room, Deidara at his heels. "NOOOO!"

"GET BACK HERE AND DO WHAT THE FUCKING WOMAN SAYS!"

"Excuse me!" A woman's voice traveled behind them as she chased after them. "Stop!" She called. "Sir!"

"Hey!" A dentist with silver hair yelled as he stepped out of one of the rooms. "No running!" He pulled his mask down to reveal his tanned face. "You two stop!" The young hygienist chasing the two stopped beside him panting. "I-I'm sorry Dr. Kabuto…" She fanned her face and breathed deeply. "They-they just won't stop…"

"TOBI!" The blonde ran past them again, only to be pulled back by the dentist. "HEY!"

"Hey what?" The dentist asked, his face contorted in annoyance. "Would you please stop running in this facility? Have some respect." He looked around. "We have patients undergoing oral surgery here."

Deidara growled and yanked his arm out of his grip. "I'm trying to get my friend to get his teeth check Doc." He spat, and rolled his neck looking around for any sign of the orange mask wearing male.

"My name is Kabuto."

"Whatever."

Kabuto sighed and closed his eyes. "Hand me my glasses will you?"

"Why the fuck s-"

"I meant the hygienist."

"…Oh." Deidara shifted uncomfortably before he began to walk down the hall.

"Sir!" Kabuto called after him.

"What?"

Kabuto jogged up to his side, adjusting the circle frames on his face. "What does your friend look like? I can't have you two running around here like it's some sort of playground."

The crystal eyed male sniffed and shrugged. "Orange mask." Was all he muttered before dodging into a random room.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After about half an hour of searching, Deidara and Kabuto found Tobi hiding under a newly broken X-Ray machine. Deidara heaved a heavy sigh as Kabuto strode up to the mask wearing male and examined the machine. "Tobi?"

"Yes?"

"Will you like a piece of candy?" Kabuto shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a lollipop. "You can have it if you be a good boy and listen to what the hygienist says."

After a few seconds of silence Tobi stood up and nodded and accepted the lollipop.

Kabuto turned to Deidara who stood off to the side."…You're going to have to pay for that."

Deidara sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I know."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Deidara sat in the corner of the room while Tobi slowly crawled into the examination chair, his body ridged. "Deidara-Sempai?" He whimpered.

Crystal eyes snapped open to stare up at him. "What?"

"Tobi isn't having fun…"

"Hello." The scarred hygienist smiled nervously as she entered the room, a folder clutched in her pale hands. Slowly, she sat on the swivel stood besides Tobi and placed the folder behind her on the counter. "So…Tobi?" She nervously tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear.

"Yes?" He whispered.

"You…you need to take off your mask…"

Tobi's gaze flickered to his friend sitting in the corner only to nod reluctantly. Slowly he reached up to his face and pulled the mask off of his skin.

The hygienist gasped as he placed the mask in his lap and hung his head in shame. "Tobi is sorry Tobi is so ugly…" He mumbled and sniffed, his gaze downcast.

"Your not ugly…" She whispered, her eyes glued to his pale, flawless face.

It was then Deidara cleared his throat, calling the hygienist back down to earth.

With a start, she nodded and turned around, her cheeks flushing bright pink. "I'm sorry." She squeaked and pulled the white surgical mask over her mouth and nose. "Please open your mouth." She spoke, turning back to face him as she pulled the latex gloves over her hands.

He did as she asked and leaned back into the chair and opened his mouth.

Gingerly she tilted his head to her then gasped. "Y…your eye!"

"TOBI IS SORRY!" He yelled and slammed his mask back onto his face and curled into a ball.

"What the hell is wrong with you lady?" Deidara shouted as he jumped up, entirely exasperated with the situation.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After about one hour, Tobi's teeth were finally clean and they were able to leave the dental office. The hygienist walked the two of them out to the reception desk where Kabuto sat waiting for them. "Hello." He greeted coolly.

"Hi." Tobi waved.

"Now Tobi." The hygienist tapped him on the shoulder. "Remember, no eating candy until tomorrow."

"Why can't Tobi eat candy? It's Halloween…" He asked innocently.

Deidara closed his eyes and ran his hand through his long, blonde hair. "Because you just got your teeth cleaned. He leaned on the counter and looked down at the blushing receptionist. "Please don't give him candy."

The receptionist giggled and leaned forward on her hands. "Aww…why not? He's cute…one candy won't hurt…"

"Listen bitch you don't know the shit I go through. Don't give him candy." Was all he muttered before he grabbed the hand written receipt and bill Kabuto held out to him.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"So…" Konan strolled into the large living room and slumped down into the loveseat across from the blonde. "How was Tobi's dental appointment?"

Crystal eyes flickered up to her face before he reclined his neck and let out a long, stressed sigh. "Never again Konan. Never again."

Blue eyes lit up in amusement. "Hard day?"

"Hn…"

"Where is he?"

"Upstairs. Sulking. He can't eat candy…by the way you owe the dental office seven thousand dollars." He stated simply, reaching in his pocket and pulling out the hand written receipt a freshly printed bill.

"What?"

"He broke an X-ray machine."

Konan growled deep in her throat before she regained control of herself. "Deidara?" She asked sweetly.

Her tone of voice caught his attention. "What?" He asked nervously.

"Go set up the candy for trick or treaters." She ordered.

Deidara gaped at the woman sitting in front of him, a mocking look glued to her pale face. "The candy is in the cupboard." She closed her cat-like eyes. "Don't forget to set up the decorations. They're in the basement."

The young man gritted his teeth and rubbed his nose. "Konan…" He spoke, his voice shaking. "I just spent…four fucking hours in the dental office…give me a break woman!"

Konan scoffed and glared at him. "And you also cost me seven thousand dollars!"

Deidara cursed in his mind as he slowly stood up and rubbed his "Fuck me...Halloween is two weeks away!"

"And how proud will we be when we're the first ones giving out candy."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

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Be it about this story or whatever.

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	11. Chapter 11

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 11

Shock registered on the pinkett's face as realization hit her like an ice cold bucket of water. 'Lead to trouble?' Anger began rising from within as her mind kept repeating Kakashi's words.

In an instant, the fuming pinkett stomped out from behind the wall, her face red with furry. "Kaka-how can you say such a thing?" Tears sprung to her eyes as she spoke. "What is wrong with you? Do you not want me to-why would you even say such a cruel thing?" Her voice reached a new high as she screamed, her body shaking as she gripped the edge of her tank.

Baby blue eyes shot up as her voice registered in his head. 'Shit! She was awake? I just left her sleeping!' He glanced at Kakashi, whose entire body had frozen as soon as she entered the kitchen. "Why Sakura…you didn't sleep long at all…" Naruto awkwardly laughed, trying to stall for time.

"Don't fuck with me Naruto." She spat, her face flushed red.

Kakashi heaved a heavy sigh as his lone eye slid close. Deliberately slowly, he turned to face her, one hand gripping his aching ribs. "Sakura…." He spoke calmly. "Sakura listen to me."

Distraught emerald eyes glared up at him. "Why the hell should I?" She sneered up at him from her spot against the wall. "You obviously think I can't do shit in life-"

Kakashi took a deep breath then cut off her rant. "Sakura you are my daughter."

Awkward silence.

No one moved.

No one dared breathe.

After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence Naruto shifted around the counter. "Kaka-"

"I'm your what?" Sakura spoke, her eyes open wide in bewilderment. "Sempai that's not fucking funny." She turned her gaze away from him.

The silver haired male shifted to stand up only to have Naruto's hand slam down on his arm. Dark eyes followed the tanned arm up to his face to see him shake his head 'no'. "Sakura…I adopted you. Legally, you are my daughter." Kakashi spoke softly, slowly. "And in all honestly…I view you as one as well…"

It was then her legs gave out and she slid effortlessly to the floor, her normally expressive face devoid of any emotion. 'Wha…what? Kaka-Sempai is really Otousan…I'm adopted?'

"Sakura…" Naruto's low, raspy voice broke into her thoughts. "Are you-how are…are you okay?" His cerulean orbs were filled with concern.

Sakura tilted her head up to see him standing beside Kakashi, his tanned face a mixture of worry, regret, and love. Slowly, she stood back up, using the wall as a guide she leaned on it. "Did…did you know?" She asked, her voice wavering.

Naruto locked his eyes with her and nodded. "Yeah…"

With that bit of information, she whipped her head to the side and stalked out of the room and down the hall.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Though bright, midday light tried to break into the dim room of a young man's, it didn't succeed. Dark, heavy shades covered the bedroom window from corner to corner, shrouding the room and preventing any glint of light from filtering in. On the bed, exactly opposite the window lay a motionless body sleeping the day away. That was, until the body slowly moved.

A young man with messy, dark blue hair shaped like a chicken's ass rolled over in pain as his blankets slid to the floor of his bedroom. With a pathetic sniff, he eased himself up and grasped the edge that still cling to his feet and pulled it over his quivering form. Slowly, he snuggled back down into the cool sheets and allowed his aching body to relax.

Then a violent sneeze wracked his form. '…How the hell did I get sick…?' He groaned in pain then sat up and stared at the digital clock on his bedside table. 'It's fucking lunchtime and…I slept past…ohhh…' He pouted like a child then grabbed his cell phone off the table and sunk back down into his bed.

"Sakura…" He called out, slightly delusional as he strolled down the list of contacts and clicked Kakashi's house number. 'I'm…sick…'

After a few rings, someone picked up the phone. "Hello? Sakura?" He asked desperately.

"_Not now Sasuke." _Naruto's annoyed voice sounded through the line before he hung up.

Onyx eyes stared at his phone in disbelief. "…What?"

After a few seconds he realized what exactly happened and re-dialed the number.

His eyes narrowed as he waited. After two rings someone answered. "Don't hang up." He spoke.

"_Sasuke?" _Kakashi asked, baffled.

"Yeah…where's Sakura?"

"_This is a bad time. Call later." _With that said, the line went dead.

Onex eyes stared down at the phone now resting in his lap. '…'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Sakura wiped the warm tears falling from her broken eyes as she darted out of the house, her coat in her arms. As soon as her boots touched the crisp, fallen leaves scattered about the pathway she bolted. She ran out of the driveway and down the sidewalk, past the neighbors and rounded the corner, her vision blurred by the tears streaking her red face.

After a few seconds of running, she slowed to a stop somewhere in town. By that time her fingers became frozen, her insides had lost all body heat and her tears had become blued to her face. Numbly, she fingered the black coat draped over her arms but made no move to put it on.

Slowly, she raised her head to stare up at the bright sun, its rays shinning down on her damp face and reflecting off somewhere she could no longer see. With a sigh, she released the breath trapped in her chest and let her shattered eyes drift close.

"Sakura?" A woman's voice called to her, somewhere in the depths of her conscious. "Sakura that's you isn't it?" the voice grew louder the more she tried to ignore it. "Sakura come on, it's me Ten-Ten Remember? Look I know we left on bad terms but…don't ignore me…" The pinkett continued to lose herself in her mind, ignoring the pleading voice and the cold biting at her exposed skin. "Sakura I know its you…you're the only one with pink hair…please look at me…let me buy you some-Sakura?" A warm hand pressed against the pinkett's frozen arm only to shatter her inner mind. With a start her eyes shot open, confused and disoriented.

"Wha?" She mumbled, her pink lips frozen shut.

Then her lost gaze fell upon the woman in front of her. There stood a young woman with long, brunette hair pulled into two, low buns on her head, halfway hidden by a large red fur hat. She wore a matching red coat that went down to her knees with black, military like buttons. Her arms were folded in front of her, in an attempt to try and keep the warmth in as she shifted from foot to foot and her tanned face was scrunched in worry and apprehension. "Sakura?" She whispered, leaning forward. "Sakura what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Ten-Ten?"

The young woman sighed and glanced around, noting the sun disappearing behind a large cloud. "Yeah…let's go into that café okay? It looks like it might…the weathers changing…and put your coat on. It's cold out." With that said, she took Sakura's coat from her grasp and draped it over her shoulders.

Sakura did as she said and stiffly hugged the coat closer to her freezing body. '…I don't know what to…to think…this…how…why?'

Together, they walked into the café, Ten-Ten lightly guiding the sullen pinkett as they crossed the street. "So…" She mumbled, reaching foreword to grasp the door handle.

"Hm?" Sakura looked up, her mind lost to the world around her.

Ten-Ten shook her head and gently nudged the other woman inside. "Let's get something warm to eat and drink. What do you say?"

Pink hair swayed as she walked inside, her shoulders immediately relaxing as the warm heat beckoned her inside and hugged her in a comforting embrace. The café was small and quiet, through several customers sat scattered around. The place was painted a light pink with red roses stenciled all over the walls, the flooring was woodened, but it added to the charm.

"Nice huh?" Ten-Ten murmured, sliding past the immobile pinkett and leading her through the aisles of the café to a back seat. "I found this place awhile ago and fell in love instantly." A small smile found its way upon her lips at the memory. "I was just wandering around, killing time before one of my meetings…" She removed her red coat and tossed in into the booth and nodded at Sakura to make herself comfortable.

With measured movements the pinkett also took a seat, opposite her.

Chocolate eyes watched with great interest until the server strode up. "Hello, is there anything I can get you two girls before you order?" The server smiled warmly at them before nodding at the large window beside them. "How about coffee? Tea? It's real cold out there."

Ten-Ten nodded then looked at her friend who kept her head bowed down at the table.

"Sakura?" She spoke. "Sakura what would you like? Coffee? Tea?"

No response.

She tried again. "Come on Sakura you must be frozen stiff. Have something warm to drink."

Emerald eyes stared down at the cream tabletop. "I haven't any money…" She mumbled, defeated. 'I left everything…I just wanted to get out of there…'

Ten-Ten nodded and placed a comforting hand atop her friends. "It's okay. My treat." She then turned back to the waiting server. "Make that two coffee's." The server nodded then walked off.

An uneasy silence fell upon the two until Ten-Ten cleared her throat. "Sakura."

Pink hair swayed as her head shoot up.

"Alright Sakura tell me what's going on." Chocolate eyes narrowed. "You've been moving around like your possessed or something." She leaned forward, closer to the pinkett. "Did something happen? Do you have AIDS or something?"Her voice low.

Emerald eyes opened wide at her friend's assumption. "NO!" She whispered harshly, her cheeks dusting pink. "No I do not! How-why would you even think such a thing?"

"Well I don't know!" Ten-Ten leaned back exasperated. "What am I suppose to think Sakura? You're not saying anything…"

Sakura nodded and leaned back. "…I know…" She tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and shifted uncomfortably. "It's just…I just…found out something…unsettling…"

Ten-Ten nodded, encouraging her friend to continue talking.

"You know how I live with Kaka-Sempai right?"

"Excuse me ladies." The server called, walking up to them with two coffee mugs. "Let me just…" She trailed off as she placed the mugs between them. "Are you two ready to order?"

Sakura looked up at Ten-Ten to see her nod. "Yeah…uhm…a croissant."

"And strawberry tart." The young brunette cut in, smiling. "And a blueberry muffin…some cookies…and I think that's-oh and one of those coconut filled pastries." The server laughed and nodded. "Okay, I'll be a moment." Then walked away.

Chocolate eyes watched until the server was on the other side of the café before she turned back to Sakura in front of her. "Continue."

Emerald eyes flashed to the window and looked outside, watching as a little girl buried her nose in her green scarf as the cold wind blew through her hair. "Yeah…where was I?" She whispered, her pale lips barley moving, her eyes glued to the outside world.

"You live with Kakashi." Ten-Ten filled in.

"Yeah…for as long as I can remember I've lived with him…" Sakura mumbled, her eyes unblinking as she became lost in the memories dancing in her mind. "…I can't remember a time when he wasn't there…I can't…remember much of my past you know…only fragments…every memory I have Kaka-Sempai has always been there…"

Ten-Ten nodded and sipped her coffee.

"I was born into this world with him already there." Emerald eyes fluttered close as her lips kept moving. "When I was just a baby he was already there, taking care of me…when did we cross the boundary of friends and became family?"

"Hm?" Confusion flashed in chocolate eyes.

"Or was I just born into the role but never noticed?"

"Sakura what are-"

"Why am I always blind to the truth?" She mumbled, a trickle of tears dancing down her cheek.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A young man with short, messy brown hair heaved a heavy sigh as he sat up in his bed. He blinked a few times then yawned loudly and swung his feet off the blankets and stared out at the large window smiling back at him. The drapes were drawn open, allowing the warm rays of midday sun to shine into his gloomy room. "…Why the hell are you so happy?" He mumbled and shook his head then stood up. 'Damn am I a mess…talking to the sun…' Slowly he stumbled around his large room, scratching the back of his head. 'This whole, stupid…idea…is making me-'

"Kanky you up?" His sister's loud voice echoed down the hall and under his door.

"Yeah." He rasped, his voice still lathered with sleep as he stretched his stiff arms high over his head.

A knock sounded at his door before it opened to reveal his older sister. She poked her head into his dreary room, a tired, calm look on her face. "I'm going to go buy some breakfast." Her voice was soft, careful.

"Kay." He answered, pulling off his crumpled, black shirt and tossing it to the floor.

"Any requests?"

Kankurou paused for a moment, and then shook his head. "As long as I can eat it its fine."

"Okay…" She lingered in his doorway, watching him for a moment before he noticed.

"What's wrong Tem?" He asked, rolling his neck.

Olive eyes closed. "I don't know…it's weird…"

Her brother looked off to the side before looking back at her. "What is?"

"…Thinking that…tomorrow…"

A dark look passed over his face before he nodded and walked over to his closet. "Yeah…"

"Are you nervous?"

Kankurou hung his head. "Tem just go get breakfast will you? I don't want to talk about that." He mumbled angrily before roughly grabbing a shirt off the rack and slamming the door shut.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A man with pale skin and inky black hair released a painful breath as he walked into his large, dark room which was located on the top floor of the house. It was a corner room, and two of the walls had glass running through the middle. His room was neat, but fairly empty compared to the others; he only had a king sized bed, a desk, one dresser, and a walk in closet. Slowly, he eased himself down into a chair behind his desk. Slowly he leaned back and made himself comfortable then opened the desk drawer. With a quick glance around his darkened room, he pulled out a large, crisp, white envelope.

"Hn…" He mussed to himself as his long, bruised, pale fingers slid open the flap and he pulled out a few letters. 'Sakura…' His dark eyes fleeted over the papers and notes as they scattered onto the desk.

With great care, he picked up one of the letters folded neatly into a small heart. Slowly, he unfolded the paper and turned it right side up. His name was scribbled across the top in Sakura's neat, precise handwriting. "Sakura…" He whispered, her name stuck on his lips.

"You miss her too?" A low, males voice spoke from the doorway.

"Deidara." Itachi growled, unhappy with the rude interruption. "My door was closed."

The young man shrugged, his blonde hair falling off his shoulder. "Actually it was pushed in." He walked further into Itachi's room. "What are you doing?"

Itachi sighed and gently placed the letter down. "What does it look like?"

"Looks like you're sulking."

"About?"

Crystal eyes glided down Itachi's crumpled frame to his desk. "Sakura." He stated, his voice growing dark. "You kept the letters?"

Itachi raised a slim brow at the statement. "Didn't you?"

Deidara scoffed and walked around the desk to face the large window behind the man. "Of course…" He mumbled and drew open the dark shades, shedding the dark room with bright light.

"What do you want Deidara?" Itachi asked, annoyed with the blonde.

"Nothing."

"You sure about that?"

"…Tobi misses her…" Crystal eyes stared out at the bright landscape in front of him.

"Of course he does…everyone does…"

Deidara turned to look down at him. "Then why don't we do something about it?"

"Like what? We can't see her." Itachi gulfed. "You know that."

"…yeah…I just thought…"

Itachi heaved a heavy sigh and picked up one of the letters "You thought what? That I had some master plan to go and save her from Kakashi? Well I don't." He fingered her lettering, tracing over her signature. "He's taking great care of her…and he doesn't need any help…that much is obvious…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Kakashi released a breath he'd been holding and racked his hand through his messy hair. In front of him, Naruto worked in silence though his actions were rough. Angrily, he chopped up the chicken; slamming the knife down into the chicken and down into the chopping board. He severed the chickens leg from his body then moved onto the wings.

"…She took that…better than expected." Kakashi mumbled to himself, watching as Naruto irately tossed the detached pieces into a bowl.

"Sempai what you did…" He began then trailed off, shaking his head.

"What?" He coaxed; his deep voice soothing.

Cerulean orbs stared at the man before him. "You told her…just like that you told her…"

Silver hair swayed as he nodded. "Yeah…I did."

"Why?"

"Because she needed to know…it's myplace to say things like that…she would have-"

Naruto growled and stabbed the knife into the cutting board, blade down. "Kaka-Sempai stop the bullshit and tell me what the hell is going on." He scowled up at the silver haired male looking at him.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

Review or message with your thoughts.

Any thoughts.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	12. Chapter 12

L.

Hello, it's been awhile and stuff and for that, I apologize.

Though I think I will update once every two weeks in regards to this story.

Considering the holiday season is fast approaching and what not.

Light after Dark

Chapter 12

Cerulean orbs bore into dark orbs in front of him. "You need to tell her the whole fucking truth Sempai. You can't start something and not finish it."

Kakashi nodded and eased himself off the stool. "I know…your right." He sighed. "I have a doctor's appointment now but…when she comes home I'll have a talk with her."

Naruto watched as he slowly hobbled out of the room. "And tell her everything."

Silver hair swayed as he nodded. "And tell her everything."

"From start to finish."

"Yes."

"No more lies. No more secrets."

"I know."

"Cause look at all the shit that's happened."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young man with long blonde hair cursed under his breath as he closed the front door behind him and slugged into the kitchen rubbing his arms. Angrily, he tore off his jacket and stuck his slightly blue hands under hot water. 'Damn you Konan. Damn you to hell!' His crystal eyes stared at the steaming water as it rushed over his hands.

Behind him, he heard movements. "You done?" A woman's haunting voice entered his ears.

Deidara gritted his teeth as he answered. "Yeah. Done Konan."

"Hmm…" She hummed. "Did yo-"

"I did everything you said to okay?" He slammed his hand down on the faucet, turning it off then turning to face her. "So will you kindly shut your mouth and leave me alone?" Roughly, he grabbed the towel hanging on the oven door and dried his aching hands. "I'm tired."

A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. "Thanksgiving is coming up so take down the Halloween decorations and put up those." Then she waltz out of the room, leaving Deidara to stand in the now empty doorway.

Awkward silence.

"Shit!" He cursed; then sneezed. "Shit…I'm getting sick…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Why am I only filled with lies? Is my entire life a lie? When does the lie end and truth begin?" The pinkett hiccupped and continued. "Am I really who I think I am? How am I to know when…when I don't know anything at all?"

Chocolate eyes stared down at her in shock. "S-Sakura…I-I…"

Sakura sniffed and shook her head. "He adopted me." She blurted out. "Kakashi adopted me and never told me!" Her emerald eyes began to well up with tears again. "He adopted me and never told me and-and he…he…Na-Naru knew about it and who knows about Sasuke…"

Ten-Ten pursed her lips and tilted her head. "Well I really don't think you actually care what Sasuke thinks…" She murmured under her breath.

"But I hate him!"

"Sasuke?"

"Kaka-Sempai!" She snapped, gaining the attention of the entire café. "He lied to me! He blatantly lied to me and the only reason I found out was because I overheard him and Naru talking!"

Chocolate eyes darted around the café, an uneasy smile on her face. "Shhhh Sakura keep you voice down." She whispered. "Nothing to see here folks. Mild drama is all."

"Ten-Ten I never want to see them again! I hate them!"

"You don't hate them."

"They lied to me! To my face! For years!"

"You still don't hate them. You're just angry."

"But how many things have they lied about? Why? Why keep it a secret? Why me? How did he manage I…I just don't understand…" She broke down into a sobbing mess.

Ten-Ten reached across the table and took her shaking hands. "Sakura I don't know what's going on." She shook her head sympathetically. "And I don't have any answers for you. I can't possibly know the reason for any of this pain you're in but what I do know is that Kakashi cares about you." She removed on hand to grab a tissue and held it up for Sakura to take. "He cares a lot. Anyone looking in from the outside can see that." She watched as she dabbed the tissue at her eyes. "There's a reason he adopted you. I don't know what it is but you mustn't hate him for it. He did what he thought was right at the time. Maybe in hindsight it wasn't the best move not telling you anything then again, maybe it was." She patted her hand and offered a smile. "But you'll never know if you don't go back there and talk to him will you?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young woman with spiky blonde hair pulled into four chewed her lower lip as she paced the hallway, her fingers scurrying over the numbers in her cell phone book. With a heavy sigh she flipped the phone shut and strutted over to her hoodie hanging on a hook near the door. "Come on come on…" She mumbled, digging through each pocket until she retrieved a little, bent, worn card. "Shit!" Her eyes flitted over the card, trying to decipher the numbers. "SHIT!"

"What's with the colorful language Tem?" Her younger brother asked around a yawn as he clamored down the stairs, running a hand though his uncombed hair.

She turned to face him, the little card clutched between her fingers. "This is the problem!"

He raised an eyebrow at her as he looked from the card, to her face, and back to the card. "Right…because that's completely logical Tem." He shrugged and brushed pass her on his way to the kitchen. "I want some coffee."

"Kanky!" She whined.

"What?"

"Read me these numbers!" She thrust the card out at him.

With a sigh he shook his head, clicked on the hallway light and squinted down at the writing. "…This is Sakura's business number…" He mumbled, glancing up at her.

"I know." She flipped open her phone, her fingers hovering over the keypad.

"Alright…let's go into the kitchen where there's actually some light."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Ten-Ten chewed her lower lip as she un-lopped her arm from her friends and stared down at the little white house at the end of the pathway. Her chocolate eyes skimmed over the quiet house in apprehension, noting the drawn blinds, open door, but lack of movement. She looked back down at the pinkett by her side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to go back now you know." She smiled warmly. "You can come crash at my place for the night."

Pink hair blew in the light wind as she turned to look up at Ten-Ten. "Thanks…but no…I think…I think I need to have a proper conversation like you said." With that said, Sakura smiled at her friend and walked up the driveway and through the open door.

Ten-Ten watched apprehensively then turned to leave. "I wish you luck Sakura." She mumbled then walked down the sidewalk, only pausing to look back once.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The phone ran a few times before someone finally picked up. "Hello?" A young man with spiky blonde hair answered the phone.

"_Hi, this is Temari. Is Sakura there?" _Apprehension danced in his cerulean orbs before a familiar voice filled the room.

"Hi." Sakura greeted awkwardly, tossing her jacket onto the nearby chair.

Naruto nodded stiffly in her direction then motion to the phone receiver at his ear. "Temari? Can you hold on for one moment-I'm not sure if she's in or not." Then he placed the receiver in the palm of his hand and stared down at the pinkett looking at him. "Hey Saku…Temari is on the phone for you."

Pink hair swayed as she nodded and held out her hand for the phone. "Okay."

"But…I'm real sorry about all this Saku. Really I am. Please, before you make any snap judgments or make any assumptions-just sit down and have a talk with us. Or at least with Kakashi." He bit his lower lip, his eyes filling with worry. "He only did this for you. You know that right? All of this…all these lies were done to protect you."

Emerald eyes welled with tears before she roughly brushed them away. "You're making Temari wait." She stated uncomfortably.

He nodded dejectedly then held the phone out for her to take.

"Thanks." She placed the receiver at her ear. "Hey Temari." She tried to sound as calm and cheery as possible as she watched her best friend wander into the kitchen.

"_Hey Sakura._"Temari's nervous voice sounded through the phone.

"Temari?" She questioned, her ears perking at the nervousness.

"_Yeah…hi…"_

"Hey…" Sakura scratched the back of her head, a small smile dancing on her lips as she strolled to the familiar patio doors through the kitchen. "So…what's up?"

Temari cleared her throat before answering. _"Not…not much…" _There was an awkward pause. _"But uh..do you remember what you told me? That maybe I should go visit our brother?"_

"Yeah." Sakura leaned her weight on the doorframe and looked out at the flower garden in the back.

"_Well…we decided that we would…that we would go see him."_

"That's great!"

"_Isn't it? But I'm nervous…it's been seven years since we last saw him…would he even recognize us? Would he be mad? I don't know…I-"_

"Breathe Temari breathe…it's great that you two are going to see him. Really it is-and even if he's upset with you at least you guys are making an effort right? At least you're no longer shutting him out. The point is that all of you are family and you need to recognize that bond. I know you and Kankurou miss him; this will be good for you guys. Even if you're younger brother isn't too pleased with the idea."

Temari sighed a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone. _"Yeah…your right…this should be a good thing…" _

Pink hair swayed as she nodded. "So what are you two planning on going?" She asked, walking back into the living room, ignoring Naruto's eyes on her.

"_Maybe early tomorrow morning…if things go well we might even spend the day…" _

"Ah…"

"_Too much?" _

"Too much?"

"_Time. Too much time? What do you think?" _

Sakura sniffed as she slid down the arm of the couch and relaxed her back. "I think you should do whatever you feel like. If you feel to spend the day then go for it. If only an hour? You got to start somewhere right?"

Behind her a groan was heard. "Sakura…" A male's disheartened voice called. "Sakura…help…"

Emerald eyes opened wide as the voice reached her ears. "Temari? Hang on a sec?"

"_Sure." _

She placed the phone on her shoulder and turned to stare at the wall separating the living room and kitchen. "Naruto what's going on in there? Did you cut off your hand or something?" She asked in a deadpan voice.

"No Saku, Sasuke's here and he's sick." He answered back, his voice slightly annoyed.

Sakura sighed and picked back up the phone. _"_Sorry Temari but I think something's wrong. I got to go."

"_Uh okay…thanks!" _

"No prob. Let me know how things go okay?"

"_Kay!" _With that said, Temari hung up and Sakura jumped off the couch and tossed the phone onto a cushion in her mad dash to the back door. The sight she was met with made her shake her head. There Sasuke stood, one hand draped over his stomach and his other covering his mouth. "Sasuke?" She asked exasperated, her eyes straying to Naruto who stood off to the side behind the counter.

"My stomach…" He sniffed pathetically and leaned against the door frame.

Emerald eyes rolled as she sighed and ran her fingers through her long tresses. "Sasuke go home and lie down."

"But Sakura…" He whined. "I'm home alone and in pain…have a heart."

Pink hair flowed as she groaned and waltz into the kitchen, on hand on her hip as she sifted through the cupboard. "The amount of shit happening today…it's absurd." She mumbled under her breath and pulled out a can of chicken noodle soup then turned to the onyx eyed male sulking. "Go lie down on the couch and make yourself comfortable. But if anyone complains it's all on you."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Shikamaru!" A young woman with long blonde hair pulled into a high pony tail on her head glared at her boyfriend in the driver's seat. She wore a long, purple coat that went down past her knees paired with dark purple fur boots that went up to under her knees and matching purple fur lined ear muffs. "Why did you bring him?" She flipped her hair as she glared at a young man with upside down triangle tattoos on his face sitting in the backseat.

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his forehead as he eased off the brakes and gently pressed the gas as the light changed from red to green. "Ino will you calm down? I told you he was coming over for dinner tonight."

Ino growled and crossed her arms over her chest. "You told me four hours ago."

"Four hours is enough time." He clicked on his indicator to turn left. "Besides its only dinner. And you know he always comes over. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that he's always there! He's always at our house Shikamaru!"

In the backseat, Kiba shifted uncomfortably. "Hey…you guys mind not talking about me in the third person? Thanks."

Blonde hair flew as Ino whipped around in her seat to face him. "Guys? Guys? Did you just call me a GUY?"

Kiba bit his lip as he shrunk back down into the shadows of the car. "…Hey Shikamaru want to give me a hand here?" He whispered.

Shikamaru sighed as he cruised down one of the barley lit back roads to his house. "Not really man…not really."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto glanced worriedly at his pink haired best friend sitting on the living room flooring sifting through old photographs. She had changed into pink and red plaid pajama pants and a light pink cami paired with a white sweater she left unbuttoned. He stood up and took the empty soup bowl from Sasuke. "Do you want more?" He asked, his eyes focused on Sakura.

"No…" Sasuke groaned as he attentively sipped some water. "Where's…Sempai?"

Cerulean eyes glanced nervously at the pinkett completely absorbed in her own world before answering. "He had a doctor's appointment…should be back in an hour or so…"

"Oh…"

A comfortable silence fell upon them as Naruto left for the kitchen. Sakura sat on the floor, her knees drawn into her chest as she slowly flipped through a box full of pictures. After a few minutes, Sasuke broke it.

"Sakura?" His pathetic voice called from the couch.

"What is it Sasuke?" After a few seconds she responded, running her fingers through her hair.

Awkward silence.

"Sasuke?" She turned to face him. He lay unmoving on his back, his normally spiky hair glued down to his face with sweat, his normally pale face completely devoid of any color, and his breathing was ragged. "Sasuke?"

"Do you know who Itachi is?"

Her face scrunched in confusion. "…No…should I?" She crawled closer to him and pulled up the dark blue blanket he was under.

He shook his head, screwing his eyes shut. "I feel…like I know him…or should…"

Emerald eyes clouded with concern. 'Is this the fever or him talking?' She shifted to face him fully as she tucked a stray strand of pink hair behind her ear. "You've been…interested in him a lot lately…" Her fingers worked to tuck the blanket under his hot body.

Slowly he nodded, turning his head to face her.

"Maybe that's a sign…the mind is like one giant sponge. You never forget things Sasuke. Never-the memories just get stored in different places is all." She spoke gently, fiddling with a piece of string on the blanket. "Everything you see, everyone you meet, you never actually forget them. The mind absorbs everything and stores them in different places. Then the memories you think are forgotten sometimes get triggered when you meet or see the same thing again." She glanced up into his eyes to see him nod wearily before his eyes drooped down into sleep.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young man with an orange swirly mask on his face sang happily to himself as he swung his feet back and forth on the window couch as he stared out into the evening. "Tobi is so happy! Tobi is so happy! Tobi has good news! Tobi has good news!" Just then a large man with blue tinted skin walked into the living room behind him.

"Hey Tobi." He greeted, his voice deep and rough.

Tobi turned to face the man and waved. "Hello Kisame!"

The man nodded and took a seat on the couch near the window where he sat, not bothering to turn on any lights. "What are you so happy about?" He asked, grabbing the television remote off the coffee table before sinking his large body down into the cushions.

"Tobi has good news!" Tobi laughed and nodded. "Tobi has good news!"

Kisame raised an eyebrow at him and nodded. "Yeah? What is it? Deidara finally taking you snowboarding?" He mocked lightly.

Tobi gasped and covered the spot where his mouth would be with his hands. "Deidara-Sempai is taking Tobi snowboarding?"

"…No…"

"…Oh…" Tobi slumped against the glass, a sullen look crossing his form.

Kisame sweet dropped and laughed awkwardly. "So ah…what's the good news?" He fiddled with the remote in his hands.

"Good news?" Tobi repeated genuinely confused.

'Is this kid mentally challenged?' Dark eyes glanced around the dim room. "Yeah you said you had good news."

Tobi lit up. "OH! Tobi has good news!"

"I know…" He nodded, slightly frustrated.

Awkward silence.

"So what is it?" Kisame pried, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table in front of him.

Tobi laughed, embarrassed. "Tobi is going to see Cherry soon!"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

Reviews make the story go round.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	13. Chapter 13

L.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Be sure to eat well and get some sleep.

Remember that vengeance is never a good thing.

Families are the ones who will always hurt you, yet care for you the most.

Light after Dark

Chapter 13

Silver hair swayed in the cool wind as the man stumbled up the drive way, his pale face a mask of pain. He inhaled to cool air as his shaky hand grasped the door handle and he turned the knob. With deliberately slow movements, he pushed the front door open and stepped into the warm air.

"Kakashi-Sempai?" A young man with messy blonde hair asked as he stood up from his place near the couch and turned to the cool air.

"Hello Naruto." Kakashi greeted as he closed the front door behind him, cutting off the cold air and allowing his gaze to settle on the unconscious midnight blue, chicken ass haired male on the couch. "What happened to him?" He hobbled over to the footrest and sat down, slowly unbuttoning his jacket and shrugging out of it.

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head, cerulean orbs darting over to the corridor then back to Kakashi. "Apparently he's sick with the flu…"

A slim, silver eyebrow rose. "And he's here because were the local walk-in clinic right?"

A small, grateful smile crossed the blondes face. "Yeah. We also do the whole experimentation drugs that have those nasty side effects." He shrugged and shoved his hands into his jean pockets.

"Thought so. That explains why the water bill is so high." Kakashi carefully began to remove his outer clothing and shoes.

Naruto nodded and let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah…"

Awkward silence.

"Sakura's in her…room." Naruto shifted uncomfortably and found a seat on the ground near his unconscious friend.

Kakashi nodded, his messy silver hair swaying. "I figured." He kept his eyes glued down on the ground.

Cerulean eyes cast a glanced up at Sasuke, wheezing in his sleep then back over to Kakashi. "I think you should go now. Stop delaying the inevitable."

He didn't answer.

"I'll stay here and you can talk to her alone. You can tell her things in whatever order you like." His eyes narrowed as the words spilled out from his lips. "But you need to tell her as much as she would listen to."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Tobi knows he's going to see Cherry soon because Tobi feels it in his heart!" The mask wearing man declared, placing his hands over his heart.

Kisame released a breath he'd been holding and ran a blue tinged hand through his messy hair. "Jeeze Tobi don't scare me like that." He muttered then turned on the television. 'Feeling it in your heart. Bullshit. She's long gone, Konan is monitoring us like dogs and Leader is off planning some other-'

"Don't you feel it too?" Tobi asked, jumping off his perch near the window and running over to the large, blue tinged male.

"No Tobi. I don't." He sighed and pushed the mask wearing male away. "Go bother someone else."

Tobi sighed and slugged out of the room and down the hallway. "Tobi is a good boy…Tobi is a good boy…" He mumbled to himself.

"Of course you're a good boy Tobi." A woman's voice entered his ears before a cloud of blue caught his eye. "What's wrong?"

"Konan-Sempai!"

Konan smiled and motioned for him to take a seat beside her on the staircase. "Why are you so sad Tobi? Tomorrow's Thanksgiving."

Tobi shook his head and sat on the stair beside her. "Tobi told Kisame that Tobi feels he will see Cherry soon but Kisame didn't believe Tobi." He sulked.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kakashi knocked lightly on Sakura's door before he pushed it open to reveal the pinkett silently making up her bed. She still wore the pink and red pajama pants and white sweater but had gathered her long pink hair up in a messy bun high atop her head.

"You're supposed to wait for an answer before actually coming in you know." She glanced at him over her shoulder before she tossed the pillow in her hand onto the bed.

He shrugged casually and leaned against the door frame. "Sakura…I think you know that we need to talk."

Emerald eyes rolled over him before she tilted her head in a mocking fashion. "Talk? Now you want to talk?" She sighed and smacked her plump, pink lips. "Alright how bout we talk? Maybe now you'd like to tell me why you lied to me all these years? Or how about the fact that you adopted me? Yeah that ought to be interesting. Or I know! Why not we just start at the goddamn be-"

"Sakura." Kakashi spoke softly, cutting her off his eyes closed. "I know I owe you an explanation. I know you deserve to know everything." He hobbled into the room then closed the door behind him. "But something's, are better left unknown. So why not settle for the things that plague your mind now instead of hunting for all the questions that have no relevance?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young patient with strikingly red hair lay atop his unmade, stark white bed, his bored, teal eyes staring up at the white ceiling about him. He wore only part of the required patient uniform; the black pants and instead of the black shirt that went with it, he opted to wear a simple black wife beater. A strong contract to his sickly pale skin. Beside him on the bed sat several books, all marked with bookmarks. After a few seconds, he closed his sunken eyes and folded his long, skinny arms behind his head and listened to the quiet that resounded off the walls. 'It's been awfully quiet around here since she left and the renovations stopped.' He rolled one shoulder and listened to it crack. 'Too quiet. Inevitably it means something interesting is about to happen.' His teal eyes shot open and stared out at the glass wall where the doors use to be. 'It's only a matter of time.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Sakura I adopted you many years ago." He began, closing his eyes as he allowed the scenes to flash through his mind. "For reasons I do not wish to get into at the moment. I thought it best to be the Father you never had."

"But I didn't know you were-are-is-was? My dad. So isn't that oh I don't know, contradictory?" She snarled, not at all happy with the situation but willing to let it proceed.

"I also thought it best that we not ruin the relationship we had." His eyes locked with her own. "I cherish the friendship borderline sibling relationship we have Sakura. Don't you?"

Sadness flashed in her emerald eyes before she tore her gaze away to stare down at her bare feet. "I don't know what to think…everything I know is a lie…" She mumbled, sitting down on her half-way made bed.

"No it's not."

"Then why did you say it wouldn't be good if I got the job working at Kyoto's Insane Asylum?" She looked up at him with fear in her eyes.

Kakashi closed his eyes and exhaled, his ribs beginning to throb in pain. "There's…Sakura…" He stumbled over his words. 'What can I say without really saying anything at all?' Absently he reached up with his good hand to scratch the back of his head. "That place…holds a lot of….dangerous people Sakura. I couldn't sleep at night knowing that was where you were."

"…Bullshit." She spat, her emerald eyes glaring daggers at his bruised face.

"Sakura."

"You knew this was my goal ever since I graduated. Why not speak then? Why go behind my back? Or was it all just another lie?"

He racked his fingers through his spiky locks before looking back down at her. "I only wanted to protect you Sakura. I did what I thought was best at the time." His eyebrows drew down as he pleaded with her. "Why can't you stay here? Why can't you stay in my arms-safe from the world? I'll protect you Sakura. I always have. Ever since you were a baby. Why can't we go back to the way things were?"

Emerald eyes stared at the grown man pleading in front of her. "Ever since I can remember you've been there. Even before I was born you were there, waiting, watching, protecting…I don't thing I've ever done a single thing without you by my side…or at least watching over me from a distance. But isn't it time I grew up? Sempai I understand what you mean and I appreciate it. Really I do. I may not agree with it but I appreciate it." A small sad smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "But this is my life Sempai. And I want to do something with it."

"You can do whatever you like here." He took a tentative step towards her.

"No. I can't. Because that's not living. Living is…is something unexplainable Sempai. And you know that."

A calm, depressed silence fell upon the two.

Sakura tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and watched as Kakashi struggled with his emotions. After a few minutes of contemplation, he heaved a heavy sigh and looked down at her. "I suppose I should tell you why you were adopted and what happened to your real parents. Would you content yourself with that knowledge for the night?"

Emerald eyes lit up at his words echoed in her ears. "Tonight?"

A small, knowing, aged smile found its way to his lips. "You have the right to know about your past Sakura. But learning too much is never good. I will tell you, but over time." He reached down to the end of the bed and pulled up the top layer of the blanket. "Make yourself comfortable. This is a long story."

Concern danced in her emerald orbs as her gaze darted down to his arm encased in a cast. "Then you should lie down too Kaka-Sempai. You're still injured after all."

Kakashi smiled at the old pet name she'd given him and nodded as he settled himself down beneath the warm sheets of her bed.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kiba sighed and scratched the back of his head and he slumped down onto the porch steps in front of his friend. "Man your girl's crazy." He muttered under his breath as he fell back onto the porch and stared up at the evening sky high above.

Shikamaru shrugged and took a seat beside his exhausted frame and looked up into the cloudy evening sky. "Yeah well…she made up some snacks and tea so…"

"Still doesn't stop her insanity." Kiba closed his eyes. "All she does is bitch at me. It's never 'Hi Kiba nice to see you thanks for the flowers. Thanks for the chocolate. How sweet of you to remember my birthday.' No never a warm welcome. Always quick to pull out the pitch forks and torches."

A light tapping was heard from behind him.

"…Shit…" Kiba cursed just as he felt a slap to his head.

"I feed you dinner and you're out here bitching about me?" Shikamaru's girlfriend screeched, her long blonde hair falling in a curtain around her face. "You ungrateful….ASSHOLE!" She slapped him across the head again and watched as he tumbled down the few steps and sprawled out on the cool dirt.

"Shikamaru!" He cried, cupping his now bruised head. "Do something man! Control your woman!"

The pineapple headed male sighed and glanced between his fuming girlfriend and injured friend. "Ino, I think he got the point." He sipped his steaming cup of tea before tossing a used toothpick at Kiba. "And Kiba, stop complaining."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto sighed and placed a cool cloth atop his friends warm forehead. 'I wonder how things are going in there?' His cerulean eyes glanced worriedly down the hall. 'Its awfully quiet…is that a good thing? I suppose it is…she might actually be listening to him this time instead of yelling…but what about me? Is she still mad at me?' He chewed his lower lip in deliberation before shaking his head and slumping down in the chair. 'Even if she is mad there's nothing I can really do but wait for her to accept it…I did what I had to do.'

"S…Sakura…" Sasuke groaned in his sleep.

"She's not here Sasuke. What do you need?" Naruto asked, glancing over at his friend.

Onyx eyes peeled open to stare at cerulean orbs. "W…water…" He rasped, slowly moving to sit up.

"Alright." Naruto jumped up and pressed his hand down against Sasuke's shoulder. "Don't move just yet. Let me get the water first."

He ran his fingers through his messy hair before moving into the kitchen and grabbing a glass out of the cupboard and turning on the pipe and filling up the glass. 'And to top it off this genius is here sick…' He sighed and closed his eyes before walking back into the living room to see Sasuke struggling to sit up. "I told you to lye back until I came back." He grabbed his shoulder to steady him.

"Tissue tissue…" Sasuke groaned, tilting his head back.

Naruto nodded and grabbed the fallen tissue box and placed it on his lap then helped him to lean up against the back of the couch. 'The things I do…' He watched as Sasuke sighed and blew his nose then toss the tissues into what he thought was the garbage. '…' Naruto shook his head then handed him the cup of water. "Can you drink it or do you need help?"

Wordlessly, Sasuke took the water and sipped it.

"Guess you don't need help…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A young, rotund guard yawned as he stumbled into his post and dropped his box of goodies atop the desk. After rubbing his eyes and yawning yet again, he took his seat, alone tonight, and began his late evening feast of chocolate, potato chips, marshmallows and soda. Periodically, he glanced down the hallway in front of him and at the locked, high security door to his right.

After a few minutes of him munching out, a loud, heavy knocking interrupted him.

"Hello?" He called around a mouth full of chips.

After a few seconds the knocking continued.

The guard stood up and dropped his bag of potato chips on the desk and reached for his tasor.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello?" He called again and peered into the darkness.

"Instead of saying hello why don't you come and see what I need idiot?" A dark, gravelly voice answered from the one occupied cell.

The guard gulped and took a few steps to the cell. "Gaara?"

The red headed patient sighed an annoyed sigh and leaned up against the glass dividing the two of them. "And you're Choji. Now that introductions are over how about you stop shoving food into your face?"

Choji stumbled back, his eyes turned into slits. "What do you have against food?"

Gaara sighed and shook his head, his messy red hair falling into his eyes. "Nothing. Except when you're incessant munching is the only noise I hear for hours." Teal eyes locked on the guard. "Now you have two options. One you can stop eating while on the job tonight." Gaara held up one finger and grinned. "Or two, give me a pack of chips."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

Review.

If you like this story check out the link in my profile.

Continue?

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	14. Chapter 14

L.

It's almost the New Year and stuff, I wish you all the best and remember, everyone's different. And that's okay.

I apologize for the delayed chapter, again.

Light after Dark

Chapter 14

Kakashi took in a deep breath as he settled himself down to begin his story. "Sakura , I've known you from before you were even born, your mother knew mine and they use to have afternoon tea together every afternoon." He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and reclined his neck onto the pillow behind him. "I use to go with Mother every day. I watched as you grew in your mother's stomach, your small body expanding, pushing against her skin." His tired eyes slid close. "I was there when you first kicked. Your scared your mother right into tears. She was so happy to feel you move. I remember, I placed my hand on her stomach, absolutely terrified and fascinated, and felt you kick, right into my palm." A small, aged smile slipped onto his lips at the memory. "I remember your mother so clearly. She was a wonderful woman. So happy to be alive. Much like you." His dark eyes opened to stare down into her emerald orbs. "She was so happy to be pregnant with you. But the pregnancy was complicated."

Sakura's small hand clutched his plain white tee-shirt as he continued.

"As the months wore on and you grew in her stomach, it took a toll on her slight frame." Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes. "Every day she grew weaker and weaker. I was just a teenager at the time but I knew it wasn't normal. I watched as she slowly began to fade away right before my eyes. My Mother use to help her around the house when they met for tea. She'd do the laundry, cook dinner, basic stuff. Which left me to keep her company in the time." He opened his eyes again, this time staring down at the comforter pooled around his lap. "I remember one day, so clearly etched into my mind; she took my hand in her frail fingers and pressed it to her stomach, I felt you move. So viciously, so eager to come into this world. She smiled and said 'Kakashi I have no one else in this world to trust but you and your mother. My husband is an idiot. He cannot protect nor teach my baby girl anything of worth in life.' She then looked up into my eyes. 'Would you look after my baby?' I was shocked. I didn't know what to say. 'I know your young Kakashi. I know you have your own life to live. But I have no one else. I won't last much longer; once I give birth, I will probably die. Leaving my baby girl in the hands of her father without her mother. It seems so cruel.' She looked down at her stomach. 'I know he's a nasty man…but I know you're a good boy Kakashi.' At that moment, something in my heart clicked. I said yes. I agreed to watch over you no matter what." He looked at Sakura staring up at him, her emerald eyes wide, completely entranced in the story. "She then smiled, a tired, wise, smile. 'Thank you Kakashi.' She then looked out into the back yard. 'I want to name my baby girl now.' She looked at me expectantly. 'What do you think of Sakura?' I looked out at the trees and smiled. The cherry blossoms were falling. It was the perfect name."

Sakura blinked for a few moments before smiling. "You chose my name?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Sort of."

"So what? You want me to start calling you 'Dad' or something?"

A small smile crept onto the silver haired males face. "Only if you want to…but I rather you didn't."

She sighed a contented sigh and laid her head on his chest. "Continue."

He smiled and nodded. "You were born some time after that, and as your mother predicted she died one week later. She never even left the hospital. Your father was angry. He was angry at the doctors, the nurses, even my mother. He blamed everyone. Maybe even his own self." He sighed and rubbed soothing circles onto her back. "My mother took care of you the first couple of months while your father dealt with funeral preparations and whatnot. She thought that given time, he'd come around. He'd see that you were the bright light in his life and he'd pull himself together. It didn't work. In fact, as time moved on, he only distanced himself."

"And then you stepped in right?" Emerald eyes drifted closed as her lips formed the words.

The sliver haired male nodded. "Yeah…over the years, as you grew older, I stepped in. I began watching you in the afternoons; I took you to the park, daycare and play dates. When you began going to school, I took you to school on the mornings and picked you up in the afternoon. I even planned my work schedule around you."

"You were always there." She mumbled, snuggling further down.

Kakashi stared down at the pink haired bundle in his lap. "Yeah…I was always there."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young man with messy blonde hair stood over the stove in a brightly lit kitchen. He hummed quietly to himself as he worked over the bubbling pot, quickly adding diced carrots and potatoes to the mix. His defined face was torn between peace, annoyance and worry; his normally fluid motions around the kitchen were jerked and restrained.

Periodically, he'd stop and watch the clock hanging on the kitchen wall.

"It's been over an hour…" He mumbled, grabbing the bottle of salt and adding a pinch to the pot. "Did they fall asleep?" Slowly he grabbed the pot spoon and began to stir his concoction.

"N…Naru…to…" A gravelly voice called from the living room.

Cerulean eyes rolled as a n exasperated sigh escaped his lips. "What Sasuke?"

"Souppp…" The voice nagged.

"I'm making it have some patience." Naruto retorted, closing the salt bottle and putting it back into the cupboard. "Why the hell is he here anyway? Go home and be sick in your own house." He muttered to himself, stirring the pot.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Pink hair flowed as Sakura turned her head to look up at the silver haired male towering above her. A small frown graced her plump, pink lips as she watched Kakashi breathe, his eyes closed in comfort. She nudged the silent, slumbering man. "Hey, continue." She pouted.

Kakashi cracked one eye open and breathed deeply. "I thought you had fallen asleep." He mumbled as he stretched his locked bones.

"Nope. So continue." She encouraged.

Kakashi chuckled and patted her head. "Alright alright. Anyway, as you grew older, you father grew to resent you more and more. He blamed you for your mother's death, he held you responsible. He didn't want to be around you and pushed you off on anyone that he could. That person was often me or my mother. You got older and wiser and began to realize this."

Emerald eyes grew dark. "Of course he blamed me…" She murmured more to herself.

"Sakura…"

"Hey where do Naru Naru and Sasuke come in?" She asked, switching the subject, her face scrunched in mild confusion.

Dark eyes flashed in understanding. "Oh right…well you two met…officially you two met in the hospital a few days after you were born. Your mother was sitting in the baby room, and all she knew was a tiny little baby boy started screaming his head off in the crib not too far off from yours. She stood, picked him up and brought him over to you to see. The moment he saw you, he stopped crying. His tiny little hand reached out to yours and clasped it. He never wanted to let go." Kakashi shook his head as Sakura started giggling. "Sounds just like him right?"

"Yeah…" Emerald eyes sparkled as she laughed.

"Anyways, the nurses had to wait till he had fallen into a deep sleep before they could pry his hand away from yours. And even in sleep he had a vice grip on your wrist."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

In the kitchen, Naruto sneezed then looked around in bewilderment. "Who's talking about me?" He asked quietly, and then resumed chopping some cabbage.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Ever since he met you, he couldn't stand to be away from you. Every moment he'd cry when he wasn't at your side. Eventually the nurses just gave up and let him have his way."

"Sounds just like the Naru of today…" She mused. "What about Sasuke?"

The silver haired male ran a hand through his messy hair. "You met Sasuke at daycare one day. Actually it was because of Naruto that you met Sasuke, he ended up picking a fight with him and they accidently knocked into you and that was that. You played referee and broke up the fight. Then all three of you spent recess in the corner as punishment." An amused glint entered his eyes.

"Heh…sounds just like us…" A light blush dusted the pinkett's cheeks.

"Yup. And then I got lectured by the Sensei about your involvement with the two of them. Not that I could do anything about it, what with Naruto sneaking into your window at all hours and dragging Sasuke along."

Sakura laughed a contented laugh then settled down. "Sounds like I had a great childhood despite my father…"

A dark look crossed Kakashi's face before he began to rub soothing circles onto her back. "Yeah…you did…thanks to the guys…"

"…And you…Dad…" She teased lightheartedly.

A warm chuckle escaped his lips. "Would you be upset if I said I like the sound of that?" He asked after a few seconds.

She shifted until her ear was pressed against his chest and she could hear his heat beat. "Dad…it sounded nice." He whispered.

Sakura thought for a second, her face scrunching slightly. "Dad…Otosan…" She murmured, testing out the words. "…It does sound nice…"

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Kakashi opened his eyes and looked down at the pinkett curled up into a ball dozing. A small, tired smile crept onto his lips as he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position and pulled the blankets up around them. "Good night Sakura. I hope you have good dreams and understand this is all for the better." He whispered before closing his eyes and trying to sleep himself.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto heaved a heavy, worried sigh as he placed a folded napkin atop the tray he previously filled with a bowl of soup, a spoon, a bottle of water, a cup of apple juice and two pills. Slowly, he lifted the tray and balanced it on one arm while he clicked off all the kitchen lights. "Sasuke." He called as he carefully navigated his way into the now messy living room. "Hey-"

He walked in, and halted. There, lying on the couch, lay Sasuke, fast asleep. Scattered about him were the pillows, blankets and many used tissues.

"…"

The spiky blonde male bit his lip to hold in his anger as he slowly made his way to the opposite end of the living room and placed the tray atop the messy coffee table filled with empty tissue boxes. "I leave you alone for fifteen minutes and you destroy everything…" He mumbled and ran a hand though his hair.

With another exasperated sigh, he began to clean up the chaos his friend created. First starting off with the couch cushions that were thrown askew, and then some of the blankets that he tossed onto another chair; he grabbed the bin that he placed near the sick, chicken assed male to toss his used tissues away and began to pick up all the ones he had missed. "Shit…should have worn gloves…" He muttered to himself, disgust clearly written on his face as the bin began to fill up.

Beside him on the couch, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "Oh go home you lazy bum." Naruto garbled, standing up and tying the now full bag filled with used tissues. "Make a mess in your own fucking house…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Dim light glowed on a young woman's face as she slumbered, her long pink hair falling across her face, a warm arm draped over her slight frame, protecting her from the world. Slowly she breathed, each breath taking her father and father into her dream of lost memories.

_A much younger version of the pink haired beauty sat on a red and white picnic blanket with a huge, wonderful, loving smile stretched across her face. She wore a simple, white sun dress that went down to her chubby legs with a small bow tied at her back. On her head sat a large white bow that held some of her short, pink hair out of her large, shinning emerald eyes. _

"_What would you like to eat Sakura?" A young version of Kakashi asked, sitting across from her. His wild, silver hair swayed in the wind as he reached inside the picnic basket and began pulling out various dishes. _

"_Uhm…sandwiches…" She said, her voice soft and sweet as she twiddled her tiny little fingers. "Do you think-"_

"_HI Sakuraaaa!" A little boy with spiky blonde hair screamed as he raced across the grassy field to the picnicking duo, his black shirt and orange pants becoming a blur in the wind. _

_The little girl with pink hair waved excitedly at her blonde haired friend. "Hi Naru!" She then turned to the silver haired male. "Kaka-Sempai! Its Naru Naru!" She squealed. "He came!" _

_Kakashi nodded and smiled. "I had no doubt in my mind that he wouldn't." _

_Naruto raced up to the two and eagerly wrapped his short arms around his pink haired best friend. "Hi Saku! I came I came!" He laughed then sat down beside her. "Thanks for the invite!" He grinned and rubbed his stomach. "I'm starved!" _

_Sakura giggled and pulled at the hem of her white dress. "Is Sasuke coming?" _

_Blonde hair bobbed as he nodded. "Yeah. I told him he could walk with me but he said something about his brother." _

_Sakura nodded and took the little pink sippy cup Kakashi held out to her. "Now Sakura try and not get it all over your hands or on your dress okay." He raised an eyebrow as he watched her gently sip the juice. "Its apple." _

_She nodded happy and carefully sat the little cup down beside her. _

"_When are we going to eat?" Naruto asked, taking the orange sippy cup from Kakashi's outstretched hand. _

"_I'm setting things up." The silver haired male answered, pulling out napkins from the basket. "Sit down where you want to eat." He instructed and took one napkin then opened it over Sakura's lap then pulled a pink bib from the basket and clasped it around her neck. "Can you do your own Naruto?" _

_Naruto pouted. "I don't need a bib! I'm a big boy!" _

_Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Sure you are. That's why every time you eat you need to change your shirt." He held out and orange bib to him. "Just put it on. Sakura didn't give me any trouble." _

_After a few seconds, the spiky blonde snatched it out of his hand and put it on, muttering about how he wasn't a little baby anymore. _

"_Look! There's Sasuke!" Sakura happily pointed to a little boy with dark, midnight blue hair walking towards them. He wore a simple, dark blue shirt and white shorts. Within seconds he was seated opposite the spiky blonde sipping some apple juice. "Thanks for the invite." He mumbled, munching on a cookie. _

_Sakura nodded happily and sipped her apple juice. _

"_Here." Kakashi mumbled, carefully placing a plate filled with sandwiches of all types cut into mini triangles in front of the trio. "Be careful." He eyed Naruto as he grabbed a sandwich and stuffed it into his mouth, some mustard oozing out of the corner of his mouth. "And he claims he needs no bib…" He mumbled to himself, grabbing another paper plate and filling it with grapes. _

_Within minutes, the four of them all sat around the picnic blanket eating various foods; everything from sandwiches to fruits to dessert cakes. _

_Emerald eyes looked at all the loving faces around her and smiled a childlike, satisfied smile. All of her friends, the people she cared about surrounded her in the warm, comfortable grassy field. It was just one of the most memorable, happy moments that laced her unusual childhood. _

Sakura sighed a contented sigh and nuzzled down into the warm blankets and Kakashi's body heat, her mind still lost in the ever pleasant dream that was once her reality.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

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	15. Chapter 15

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 15

A young man with messy red hair and dark circles around his eyes groaned awake as the familiar munching of potato chips met his ears. "So fucking early Choji." He grumbled, running a hand through his tangled locks and rolling out of bed.

"…Sorry…Gaara…" The nervous, rotund guard apologized as he came to a stop outside his room. "But at least now your awake…"

Teal eyes glared daggers at the guard watching him. "Fuck. Off."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The young pink haired woman woke to the distinct sound of the phone ringing. With a tired groan she reached to the side of the bed and picked up the receiver. "Hello?" She croaked, her voice ladled with sleep.

"_Hey…Morning…I woke you didn't I_?" Temari's apologetic voice sounded though.

Sakura sighed and sat up in bed, the blanket pooling around her waist as she rubbed that last remnants of sleep from her eyes. "No no…its fine…I had to wake at some point." She glanced around the dimly lit room, noting the faint light steaming through the cracks of the windows, telltale signs of early morning.

"_Ha…ha yeah…right…" _Temari gave a half hearted laugh.

"…What's bothering you?" The emerald eyed woman cued into her friend's uneasiness. Her gaze flickered to the clock at her bedside as she swung her legs out of bed, trying not to wake the sleeping Kakashi.

"_Nothing…nothing….something…"_ She finally admitted with a sigh.

"Well go on, tell me. I won't know till you say." Sakura encouraged, pulling the white sweater tighter around her frame as the cool air bit her exposed skin.

"_Okay…well I know this may be awkward but you know how today my brother and I are going to visit our younger brother_?"

Frown lines graced the pinkett's brow as she dangled her feet to the ground. "Yes."

"_Well…would you mind if you came along_?"

"…What?"

"_You see…this is…please…it'll be so much easier if you came."_

"Temari I don't think th-"

"_Moral support. Please? I really want to do this but not alone." _Temari begged.

"Kankurou will be there." Sakura ran a hand through her tangled locks. "Remember him? Your other brother?"

"_Yeah but he's no kind of support. You understand right?" _A long, strangled sigh sounded through the phone. "_He'll just make everything a joke and just make things harder…He's not a woman he just doesn't-won't get it_…"

Sakura sighed but nodded. "I get it…" She mumbled. "What time?"

Temari squealed in delight. "_Thank you! How does nine sound?"_

Emerald eyes flickered to the clock, it read seven am. "Okay…meet you where?"

"_Oh we'll pick you up_." And then the line went dead.

The pinkett stared at the phone in her hand for a few seconds before placing it back onto her bedside table and getting out of bed. "This ought to be an interesting day…" She mumbled as she grabbed some clothing out of the drawers then crept into the hallway. "Okay now…a fifteen minute shower, a quick breakfast then I got to go…" She mumbled to herself and opened the bathroom door.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After a quick shower and a change of clothing, Sakura found herself in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. The early morning rays of light shinned brightly through the kitchen windows and onto the large countertop where she laid all the ingredients out. There sat eggs, bacon, a chopping board, mixing bowl, whisk, milk, and some seasoning. She cracked a few eggs open into a mixing bowl then tossed some salt, black pepper, and a some freshly chopped vegetables into the mix.

"Mhn…Sakura?" A faint voice called from the living room, distracting her as she began to whisk the eggs

Emerald eyes opened wide. "…Sasuke…?" She followed his cry to the living room, leaving the eggs unbeaten.

"Yeah…" He mumbled, sitting up on the couch, the blankets falling to a mess on the ground. The living room was still dark with no lights or open blinds and had the faint stench of sick in the air; she sighed and moved to help him but he waved her off. "Sorry…" She spoke, glancing back into the kitchen, the only source of light. "I completely forgot you were here. How are you feeling?" She asked, piling her long pink hair up onto the top of her head and clipping it up with a black hair clip she had stuck onto her apron.

The chicken ass haired male shrugged and leaned his head against the pillows. "Dizzy…but better…can I get some coffee?"

"Sure." She nodded and moved to open up the closed blinds and let some light in. "Anything else?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah…since when did you become the maid?" His eyes roamed over her pink and white cooking apron and dress shirt with matching above the knee shirt.

An annoyed pout settled on her lips as she made her way to the kitchen. "I'll go make the coffee now."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kakashi awoke to the enchanting smell of freshly brewed coffee followed by the familiar sound of the percolator clicking off. His dark eyes cracked open to see the dark shadows around the room as he slowly stretched, noting quickly that he was in Sakura's bedroom. With a comfortable sigh, he eased himself off the bed and onto his feet then slowly made his way over to the door only to have it open for him.

"Oh Good morning…Oto-Sempai…?" Sakura smiled awkwardly at her blunder. "So your awake….I'm making breakfast…I was just going to wake you…would you like some coffee?" Her emerald eyes darted up nervously to his face then back down to her feet, her fingers twisting and untwisting.

Kakashi smiled. "Let me bathe first." Was all he stated before he slipped pass her and into the bathroom.

"I'll…finish cooking then…" She finished off to no one. "I still don't know what to call you…" Her gaze lingered on the door as her fingers played with the ends of her hair. "I wonder what else I don't know about myself…" She mumbled idly before walking off.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young woman with messy blonde hair pulled into four ponytails worked her jaw nervously as she tapped on her brothers door, her knuckles growing red with constant impact. "Kanky! Come on!" She called, annoyance seeping into her voice. "Get up already!"

After a few seconds, the door was wretched open to reveal a highly annoyed young man with a very unpleasant bed head.

Temari shifted her weight.

Kankurou sighed and looked over his sister, enlightenment finally reaching his eyes at her attire. "Oh…" She wore a simple gray pant suit minus the jacket with a green pearl necklace around her neck and black heels dangling off her fingertips. "Today's the day…" He mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"Yup."

"I guess I'll get ready."

Olive eyes watched him. "Wear something nice."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young man with messy blonde hair and sparking cerulean eyes yawned loudly as he flung the blankets off his warm body and stretched his locked limbs. After a few seconds, he jumped out of bed and swung open the bedroom door and walked into the hallway only to come face to face with a freshly bathed, limping Kakashi.

"Morning Sempai." He mumbled around a yawn.

"Morning Naruto…did you sleep in my room?" The injured silver haired male asked curiously as he dabbed the towel hanging around his damp neck over his face.

Naruto shrugged casually and slipped into the bathroom. "You weren't using it." Was all he said before he closed the door behind him.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The silver haired male made his way down into the kitchen just as Sakura was finishing up laying out the breakfast. The table was set with three plates waiting to be filled with the bacon and omelet styled eggs sitting in piles on the middle along with steaming mugs of coffee. "I smell coffee." He smiled as she placed a full mug in front of him. "Thanks."

"Mhm." She nodded and tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear before she began to fill up his plate with bacon and eggs. "So is Naru Naru up yet?" She asked idly, placing stripes of bacon on his plate.

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, I just ran into him." He answered before sipping his coffee and eyeing her out of the corner of his eye. "Give him a few minutes. I think he's taking a shower now."

Sakura nodded and took her seat beside him and began to pile up her plate in silence. Absently she ran her pointer finger over the edge of her coffee mug, eyes sliding to Kakashi every few seconds. He wore a simple grey shirt and sweats.

"Is Sasuke still here?" Kakashi asked, breaking the stillness that had settled in while he picked up a fork and began to cut into the egg.

"Yeah…" She mumbled, her food still untouched. "So about last night…the story…you'll continue to tell me them wont you?" Emerald eyes shot up to stare at him, her hands twitching in nervousness.

Dark orbs stared back at her before wrinkling into a smile. "Of course Sakura. You deserve to know."

"Morning!" A blonde ball of energy bounced into the kitchen, cutting off the conversation as he barreled into a chair, his orange shirt damp from his wet hair. "Haha you made breakfast Sakura? Cute!" He laughed and winked at her. "Bet it tastes pretty good."

"Good morning to you too." Kakashi muttered around a mouthful of bacon.

"Morning Sempai." Naruto greeted after a mouthful of omelet. "Tastes good Saku when did you learn to make it?" He raised an eyebrow as he sipped his coffee.

Sakura shrugged as she munched in a piece of bacon. "Guess…I don't know…I remember you making it once and I just sort of replicated the steps."

"Well it tastes great." The baby blue eyed male leaned over and kissed her cheek before diving into the food with glee.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After breakfast, the trio sat at the table digesting the heavy food, sipping more coffee and just making lighthearted conversation. Sakura smiled at a joke Naruto told and stood up to begin clearing the table as Kakashi slowly stood up to check on Sasuke. "Hey Saku want to go to the grocery with me today? I was thinking of baking some cookies later." Naruto smiled warmly at her and caught her wrist as she tried to walk behind him to get his plate.

"Oh I can't Naru." She tried to pull her hand away but failed.

"Why not?"

She sighed and gave up, letting him hold her hand captive. "Well I'm going with Temari and Kankurou to visit their younger brother in a mental hospital today." She answered simply.

A dark look passed over the spiky blondes face as her words sunk into his head. "A mental hospital…? Which one?" He asked, playing with her fingers to keep her distracted. "Is that why you're already dressed?" His eyes roamed over her white collared shirt and white pencil skirt that stopped before her knees.

"Kyoto's Insane Asylum." She answered offhandedly, staring down at their intertwined fingers.

Awkward silence.

Naruto froze.

Kakashi gulped.

Sasuke coughed in his sleep.

"Kyoto?" The silver haired male repeated, grabbing the back of one of the chairs to steady himself.

Emerald eyes fleeted up to him then back down to her frozen, spiky haired best friend. "Yeah." She frowned down at him. "Naru Naru?"

"Sakura I don't think it's a good idea for you to go." Kakashi limped forward, his one good hand out stretched to her. "Why are you even going?" His eyebrows furred in perplexity.

"Because a friend needs me." She answered annoyed with the melodrama.

A light knock echoed through the still house, interrupting the uncomfortable silence that settled between the three.

"Uh…How bout I go get that…" Naruto moved to stand up only to feel Sakura's warm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't bother." She murmured, avoiding Kakashi's concerned eye's as she grabbed her long, pink and black checkered coat draped over the chair. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Awkward silence.

Naruto sat motionless at the table, his eyes trained on the little bit of coffee he had left in his cup. "Sempai…" He whispered. "All that work…all-didn't you talk to her last night?" He asked, standing up and walking into the living room only to see Sasuke once again, asleep.

"Hand me the phone Naruto." The silver haired male ordered, his voice strained. The spiky blonde grabbed the phone and handed it to Kakashi wordlessly and watched as he worked his jaw as his bruised fingers slammed down on the phone buttons as he dialed.

Blue eyes watched as he slowly fixed the blanket's falling off of Sasuke's unconscious body. "You calling Shikamaru, Sempai?"

"Yeah…" He glanced at him before he placed the phone to his ear and began to nervously tap his fingers on the chair handle. After a few rings a deep voice finally answered.

"_Hello?"_

"Shikamaru?"

"_Kakashi? Yeah?" _

"Shikamaru listen to me; Sakura is on her way to the your Hospital as we speak. She's with a woman named Temari-You can't let her see Gaara. Got it? Do everything you can." He racked a hand though his spiky hair.

Awkward silence.

"Shikamaru?"

"_Are you serious?" _

"Of course."

"_Then why didn't you stop her?"_

"I'm physically out of commission at the moment. Just do something." Kakashi sighed in exasperation, his bad arm absently moving to caress his aching ribs.

Shuffling was heard on the other end before he answered. _"Fine…My job just gets more troublesome every day doesn't it…." _Then the line went dead.

"Alright." The silver haired male sunk down into one of the living room chairs. "It's up to him now I guess." He sighed, his eyes glued to the slumbering male on his couch.

Naruto chewed on his inner cheek as he walked up to the front door and looked out the peep hole, seeing no one. "So that's it Sempai?" He asked, locking the door and turning back. "You're not going to stop her or anything?"

Kakashi shrugged. "No. If we do anything rash it will only make her more suspicious. It's bad enough that she knows we never wanted her to get the job at that same mental hospital. If we stop her from visiting it-well all hell may just break loose wouldn't it?" He rubbed his eyes and scratched his scalp. "Just hope that Shikamaru will keep her from Gaara."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sakura huffed as she sank into the passenger seat of Kankurou's sleek, silver Nissan GT-R and slammed the door shut while Temari slid into the backseat. "Who crapped in your cereal this morning?" Kankurou asked around a mouthful of bagel as he shifted the gears into drive and began to cruse down the street; his eyes darting to the pink haired girl beside him.

"Kankurou!" Temari slapped the back of his head.

"Ouch! Temari!" He frowned and clicked on the indicator to turn left at a red light. "I was only asking woman." He glared at his older sister through the rearview mirror. "Anyway, you okay Sakura?"

Pink hair whirled as she yanked off her coat and fastened her seatbelt. "I'm fine…Kakashi-Sem-Oto-just…forget it." Her face flushed pink as she sniffed and gratefully accepted the hot cup of Starbucks coffee Kankurou held out to her. "Thanks."

"No problem." He smiled coolly as he easily slid onto the highway. "So like my clothes? Temari made me wear it." He grinned as he sat up straighter for her to see the white dress shirt with a black tie that hung loose around his neck.

"It looks nice." Sakura complemented, noting the black slacks, matching belt, and dress shoes.

"Good to know." He mumbled, concentrating on filtering into the middle lane with unbuttoning the cuffs of the shirt.

"Kanky!" Temari yelled from the backseat. "Don't do that!" She nearly shot herself into the front just as Sakura held up her hand to stop her.

"Stop being a backseat driver!" He scowled as Sakura wordlessly reached over and began to fix the sleeves. "Just drive, I'll fix your shirt." She mumbled softly.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A fairly young guard with pineapple like hair and a scowl on his face strode through the brightly lit hallways and into the lobby. He wore his usual attire, black slacks, boots, vest and a belt with a gun and various syringes attached. "Good Morning Sir." A young nurse with brown hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her hair greeted from the front desk. "I have to go clean up a patient mishap, would you mind watching the desk for a few minutes?"

Shikamaru yawned but nodded, stepping behind the desk and fiddling with a pen. "Fine. I have to thumb through the files anyway." He frowned as he found his stack of piles and skimmed the sticky notes attached. "Hn…" He grimaced as he re-read the message that was scribbled on a hot pink sticky note stuck to the top of his file folder. "Pink? Really? Must be Hinata…" He sighed and glazed over the note, his frown deepening. "Since when does Gaara have siblings? And since when do they visit him? I thought Kakashi was kidding…" Just then his walkie take crackled to life.

"_Shikamaru? Come in Shikamaru_." A woman's voice echoed through the static.

With a heavy sigh, he unhooked the communicator from his belt and answered. "I'm here Shizune. Now what the hell is with this visitor crap?"

"_I take it you got the note?" _

Dark eyes stared down at the hot pink sticky note still stuck to the top of his file. "Yeah. But what does this have to do with me?"

"_They called Lady Tsunade a few days ago to make an appointment. We weren't sure that this was real or if they were really going to come but it looks like they are. Your one and only job for today is to ensure their safety while here Shikamaru. They are not to be harmed in any way. By any patient. Be it Gaara or otherwise." _

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

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	16. Chapter 16

L.

This story has received 70 reviews and for that, I thank you all. Please enjoy this chapter and I do hope you leave a review.

Light after Dark

Chapter 16

A young guard with hair that oddly resembled a pineapple quickly made his way down to the lower, high security levels of the hospital. His face was a hard mask as his mind reeled with things he needed to do. From his calloused fingers dangled a ring of old, rusty keys; he sighed heavy as he stepped into the gated elevator and nodded at the guard standing outside to shut it as he clicked the lower level button. 'Why me? Why do I always get dragged into these troublesome situations?' He shook his head and watched as the doors opened up with a loud clank and a guard on the opposite side unlocked the iron gates.

"Good morning Sir." The guard greeted and snapped the gate back shut as soon as Shikamaru stepped through.

"Who's working in Gaara's sector?" Shikamaru ignored the greeting and began punching in his code into the keypad at the right door located to the immediate right of the elevator.

A confused look glazed the guard's eye. "Choji I think. Kiba got called away by Lady Tsunade about an hour ago." He answered around a frown.

Shikamaru nodded and pulled open the door after it beeped his entry. With quick strides he entered the empty hall and cleared the long distance to the stand alone desk that his rotund college sat at. "Choji." He called, gaining the rotund guards attention. "I need to talk to you."

Choji nodded and wiped his greasy hands on a napkin on his desk and stood up. "Sure…what's going on?" He asked, catching the serious look in Shikamaru's eyes. "Is something wrong?"

The pineapple headed guard heaved a heavy sigh and cast a sidelong glance down the long, white hallway where the lone red headed patient sat captive. "I'm guessing you already know right?"

"Know?" A frown graced Choji's pudgy lips. "Know what?"

The corner of Shikamaru's mouth twitched. "Okay…well Gaara is going to have some guests today-his brother and sister." He silenced his friend with a stern look. "That's not the important part-Sakura is with them. We have orders to keep her from Gaara for obvious reasons. She has no memory of this place, us or of him. Kakashi wants to keep it that way." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I suppose I'll be the one to keep her occupied while his siblings visit…if for some reason she escapes me you are to make sure she does not see him." His voice dropped low. "By any means."

"…This day just got a hell of a lot worse didn't it?" The rotund guard blinked stupidly. "How-why-huh?"

A long, tired yawn escaped Shikamaru's mouth as he worked out the kinks in his neck. "I'd say. And no I don't know anything other than what I just told you." His dark eyes drifted close. "I have to go tell him." He sighed and walked down the white hallway, his hands shoved into his pockets.

He stared straight ahead at the opposite white wall, a grim look on his face as he stopped about half way down and turned to his right to face the red headed patient in question. Gaara lay on his back, lazily skimming a book; one pale foot hung off the side of the bed, the blankets askew around him.

"Gaara." He called, his voice a lazy, calm, drawl.

Teal eyes rolled up from the page he was skimming to stare emotionlessly back at him. "What?" He asked, mildly annoyed at the interruption.

"You have visitors coming today." Shikamaru dropped the bomb, watching his reaction.

Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow at the guard staring back at him through the glass. He lifted his chin and his pale lips curled into a nasty smirk. "You don't say…" He murmured, teal eyes narrowing.

"Watch yourself Gaara." The guard warned, glaring at the patient in front of him.

"Whatever you say Shikamaru…whatever you say…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A young man with short brown hair sitting in the driver's seat tapped the steering wheel in annoyance as he stared into the coffee shop he parked in front of. He watched through the glass as his older sister stood in line to order more coffee and snacks. "Is this really necessary?" He asked, turning to look at the pink haired young woman in the passenger seat beside him. "I mean it's what? Only forty five more minutes till we get there right? Why do we need more coffee?" He sighed and slumped back in the driver's seat. "Next she'll make me pull over cause she'll have to pee…did you even want more coffee?" His eyebrow raised in bewilderment.

Sakura shrugged and unbuckled her seatbelt. "I didn't say a thing. She made that decision all on her own." She breathed out and pulled her long pink hair up into a messy bun at the top of her head. "This is turning into a road trip…"

"Yup." He glared at his sister through the glass. "This is why I hate going placed with that woman." He fumed. "She always has to take the scenic route…it can never be easy."

A small smile appeared on the pinkett's face as she watched Kankurou mumbled obscenities about his sister under his breath. "It must be nice though." She blurted out then immediately regretted it, he cheeks turning pink as his head whipped around to look at her. "What?" He asked, frowning. "I meant…it must be nice having a sibling to go on road trips and places…" She trailed off, idly playing with her fingers.

Kankurou shrugged and twisted his lips as he thought for a moment, his gaze still glued to Temari as she ordered three coffee's and a box of small donuts. "I suppose it's nice…but don't feel like you're missing out because you're an only child. You are right? Because you have Naruto and Sasuke and that Neji guy. They are like your brother, at least that's what it seemed like." He sent her a lopsided smile. "You guys seem like you're a surrogate family, isn't that good enough? All the perks without the hassle." He laughed and unlocked the doors as Temari collected her items and began walking out of the shop.

Sakura shrugged and opened the back door for Temari to get in. "Yeah…I guess your right…they are like family…they are family…" She reached behind to grab the box of donuts from Temari. "You okay there?" She smiled, raising a pink eyebrow as she watched the blonde climb awkwardly into the car.

"Gee Tem how much did you buy?" Kankurou grimaced, grabbing the cardboard coffee tray from his sister as she shifted around the pile of coats around the back beast. "Can we go now?" He huffed, clicking his seatbelt and instructing Sakura to do the same.

"Yes we can go." Temari sighed and distributed the coffee between the three of them. "No need to be so grateful for the coffee Kanky." She mocked, rolling her olive eyes as he started the engine and handed Sakura his cup.

"I didn't ask for it." He scowled, slowly reversing and shifting gears to cruise back onto the highway.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Shikamaru grunted as he spotted Sakura's pink hair blowing in the wind as she walked up the path to the front door, an older woman with blonde hair pulled into four at one side and a young man with brown hair and a scowl on his face at the other. He checked his belt one last time to make sure he had all his gear then nodded at the nurse to temporarily lock the lobby doors. 'Just precautionary.' He watched as the automatic doors slid open and the trio stepped in.

"…Hello…" The woman with blonde hair greeted, stepping forward, her face calm and collected; though on the inside her stomach was at her throat. "I'm Temari. This is my friend Sakura and my brother Kankurou. We are here to see our younger brother Gaara." She spoke her voice composed and level though her fingers trembled with nerves.

He nodded and stepped forward to shake her hand. "Yes, we've been expecting you." His eyes darted to Sakura and Kankurou standing a ways back, unbuttoning their coats. "My name is Shikamaru." Once more his gaze flickered to the pinkett, watching for any sighs of recognition. "I will be your escort around the hospital today."

Temari nodded, some of her nerves melting away at the guards' assuredness and competence. "Alright. Pleased to meet you Shikamaru."

He nodded stiffly and turned to the nurse who had returned to the main desk. "Will you take their coats and assign them visitor passes? I'm going to see if Choji is ready." With that said, he ducked out behind the main desk door and left the nurse to help get them settled in. "Okay, so I'll take your coats and outerwear and hang them here…" The nurse smiled warmly and began to help them.

"Choji you better be ready." Shikamaru grumbled, unhooking the walkie talkie form his belt and leaning against the far wall behind the desk, eyes trained on the trio. He clicked a button on the black device in his hand and began to talk into it. "Choji? Come in Choji."

After a few seconds a voice responded through the cracking. _"Yeah Shikamaru?" _

"They're here. With Sakura. Is he ready?"

A long pause before he responded. _"Yeah…you're not bringing her down here are you?" _

The pineapple haired guard glanced up at the pinkett. "Of course not. We'll be there soon." With that said, he re-clasped the communication device back onto his hip and walked back out into the lobby. "So are they ready?" He drawled, grabbing the keys to manually unlock the lobby doors.

"Yup. Please enjoy your visit." She smiled and waved as Sakura, Kankurou and Temari followed Shikamaru down the plain white hall.

"This isn't a fucking theme park, why the hell is she so cheery about it?" Kankurou muttered to Sakura walking beside him. The pinkett shrugged her shoulders and twisted her lips slightly. "Who knows?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A woman with long blonde hair pulled in two and a large chest sat behind a wooden desk a scowl on her thin lips. Aggregately, she tapped her pencil, glaring at the woman with short black hair pacing in front of her. "I can't believe she's here." She spat, glaring at a monitor at the edge of her desk. The monitor revealed three guests and one guard all walking down the hallway at a steady pace.

"Lady Tsunade…"

"Shut up Shizune." The woman spat, the pencil in her fingers snapping in two. "After all the planning…after I rejected her application…she still shows up on my front door step!" Her golden eyes turned into slits then widened in realization. "Do you think…?"

Shizune stared at the woman in front of her. "Do I think…?" She repeated, her heart hammering in her chest at the possibilities of what it meant flooded her brain.

"This is fate?" Tsunade raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow as her gaze locked onto the monitor, watching the pinkett through analytical eyes. "Perhaps this is fate…she was perfect…she still is perfect…" She mumbled to herself, the wheels in her head turning over time. "Yes…yes this must be fate…there's…"

Dark eyes opened wide in realization. "No…Milady no…" Shizune sat down on one of the black chairs in front of the desk. "She is not meant to work here. Even you said so!" She leaned forward, desperate to understand where exactly her boss was going with this.

"But no matter what I do, how many times I try to avoid her she keeps finding this place!" Tsunade glared at the woman in front of her.

"But she- I mean…" Shizune stuttered nervously.

"What else can it mean but the perfect job opportunity?" Golden eyes glistened evilly. "I get back my perfect doctor…I'll call Kakashi." She smiled leisurely.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shikamaru paused in the hallway and turned to face the group he was leading. He said nothing for a few seconds, waiting for them to catch up as they loitered behind, glancing in some of the doors with windows and staring out at the large panes of windows. "I'm afraid Sakura you cannot go along with your friends." He spoke as Choji came around the corner, his elevator card still in his hand. "Hey Shikamaru." He greeted.

The pineapple headed guard turned and waved. "Hey Choji. Good timing." He turned back to the pinkett now standing in front of him. "As I was saying we cannot allow you to go any further."

"Why not?" Temari butted in, her face contorting in anger. "She's our friend."

"Yes but your brother is located on the lower level reserved for our more…volatile patients. You and your brother as his siblings can visit him; but seeing as Sakura is only a friend, we cannot risk her safety." He spoke calmly, meeting Temari's fuming olive orbs. "I apologize for the inconvenience but it is the rules. We must follow it for everyone's safety."

Sakura nodded slowly, realization dawning in her eyes. "Oh…I get it. Okay no problem." She smiled brightly then turned to her now silent friend. "It's okay Temari. Go on. I'll be here waiting okay?"

Shikamaru grabbed Sakura's hand and tugged her to the side. "Choji this is Temari and Kankurou, Gaara's siblings." He nodded to the two standing awkwardly. "If you two would follow Choji here he will escort you down to your brother."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The rotund guard stopped dead in his tracks and held one arm out to stop the two visitors. After taking a deep, calming breath he turned to face them. "Okay, before I can let you see him you need to follow a few rules." He looked into each of their faces, waiting for their response.

Temari spoke first. "Okay." She shifted uncomfortable, her eyes darting nervously from the white flooring up to the white ceiling and then remained glued to the rows of locked doors.

"Yeah…we get it." Kankurou mumbled.

Choji sighed and closed his eyes then stepped behind his large desk. "First of all, no potentially dangerous objects such as knives, keys, any jewelry-that includes wallet chains-any high heels." His gaze swept down to Temari's shoes. "You'll need to remove those. You will not be in the same room as him but you cannot show him any of the items I previously listed. You will be leaving them here with me." He tapped an empty tin box at the corner of his desk. "You two will be seated on the other side of his glass. You can converse for as long as you like but at the first signs of trouble I will escort you out. Do not try and aggravate him in any way. If you do I will be forced to remove you two."

Awkward silence.

Kankurou cleared his throat and shifted, stepping back towards the now locked door. "So…he's…not doing well is he…?" His dark eyes shifted nervously, looking for any emergency exit.

"Well…" Choji's voice dropped as he slowly walked around his desk to stand in front of them. "Do you want the truth?"

Blonde hair swayed as Temari nodded.

"No. He isn't. He has improved from the last time you two saw him but he isn't well enough to be with the rest of our patients which is why I cannot allow you to be in the same room with him." Choji sighed and scratched the side of his cheek, resuming his professional façade. "Please remove all potential weapons and place them on the tray." His gaze flickered to Temari as he walked back around his desk. "Don't forget your shoes. I have paper shoes you can wear instead of going barefoot." He ducked down below his desk and pulled out a mini box and opened it, several plastic bags spilling out. "Here." He picked up two of the bags and gave them to Temari.

Olive eyes watched in disgust as she took them and opened them. "Ugh…" She grumbled and slipped the paper booties onto her feet. "Fine. Ready." Beside her Kankurou snickered behind his hand. "Nice shoes Tem."

"Shut the fuck up."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"And please remember you are not to touch any of the patients, even if they make the first move."

Emerald eyes rolled as she yet again and nodded at whatever it is Shikamaru said. She let a tired, bored sigh escape her lips as she absently twirled a strand of her long pink hair between her elegant fingers.

"Am I boring you?" Shikamaru asked, an eyebrow rose.

"No! No of course not!" Her cheeks dusted pink as she avoided his gaze, opting to stare out the window to her right.

Shikamaru sighed and ran a hand down the side of his face. "I was only letting you know the rules which I suppose aren't really that important…unless you happen to run into a patient or something." He drawled.

Sakura nodded sheepishly and twisted her hair around her fingers. "So…"

"So let's go." He resumed walking, slowing his pace down to match her shorter strides, most likely due to her inappropriate shoe wear. "How about some hot coffee?"

Pink hair swayed as she nodded and tugged nervously at the edge of her white pencil skirt and fixed the cuff on her sleeve. "Sure, sounds good."

"This way. We're going to the cafeteria." He made a sharp left then cursed under his breath. "Sorry. I didn't see you there."

A high pitched squeak echoed down the hall as the young woman jumped back. "Oh! It's okay…I-Miss Sakura?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Golden eyes flitted over the rows and rows of telephone numbers written down in her phone book. With a sigh, she flipped the page, her long finger nails grazing down another list. "…Shizune his number isn't here!" She growled, glaring up at the short, black haired woman smiling nervously. "Oh? I thought it was that one…"

Tsunade sighed an exasperated sigh and shut the book. "I know you're stalling Shizune. Get me his number." Her eyes slide close as she took the book from in front of her.

"I'm sorry Milady…" Shizune sighed. "But Kakashi said-"

"I know what he said!" Golden eyes snapped open. "I'm not stupid!"

"Then why are you trying to get her to-this is just a coincidence." She soothed, taking the seat in front of the busty blonde.

Tsunade sighed and rested her head on her hand. "…Just find me his number by the end of the day Shizune." Her hand raised in a tired wave of dismissal.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

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	17. Chapter 17

L.

Review with your opinion.

Light after Dark

Chapter 17

The Akatsuki household was oddly quiet considering its many eccentric members; there were several hushed conversations that traveled throughout the many hallways but today no one was overly loud, everyone opting that they all deserved a nice quite laid back day off. A young man with an orange and black swirl mask on his face hummed lightly to himself as he made his way up the staircase and down the brightly lit hallway to his Sempai's room. With a happy giggle, he knocked on the closed door and waited patiently for an answer. When none came, he rapped again.

And again.

And again.

"What the hell do you want Tobi?" A frustrated voice bellowed from behind the closed door, disrupting the peaceful setting the house had taken up.

Tobi yelped and jumped away then laughed nervously. "Hi Deidara-Sempai! Tobi was just wondering if Sempai would like some cookies?" He asked innocently, staring at the large wooden door in front of him eagerly.

After a few disgruntled sounds and several yelps of pain, the door was wretched open to reveal a young man with long blonde hair and tanned skin with a pissed off look plastered to his face. Behind him no light shone, his room was jet black and the blinds were drawn close. "Cookies? Fuck no." He snarled and brushed past the now crestfallen Tobi, slamming his door shut behind him.

"That was bitchy Deidara." A man with tinted blue skin and razor sharp teeth commented as he entered the hallway, a jeering smile on his scarred face. "Is it that time of the month again?" He mocked, closing his own door behind him.

Deidara glowered at the man as he approached him. "Fuck you Kisame." He spat bitterly.

"Oh ho ho, sorry but you're not my type blondie." Kisame grinned, thoroughly enjoying the situation. "But maybe you ought to be a-"

Crystal eyes narrowed as he stuck his scarred hands into his pant pockets. "Don't make me call Hidan fish face." He growled and brushed by the now slightly worried man. "He still hasn't sacrificed anyone you know." An evil grin snuck its way onto his face. "I just might let it slip that you're a virgin Kisame-you know that's his ideal sacrifice." He smirked and made his way to the staircase.

Black, beady eyes narrowed. "I'm not a fucking virg-"

"So Sempai really doesn't want cookies?" Tobi cut in, jogging to catch up to his blonde headed Sempai.

"No Tobi." Deidara answered exasperatedly. "I don't want any fucking cookies." With that said, he trotted down the stairs to the first floor.

Tobi stood at the top of the stairs, his head hung in disappointment. "Cherry liked cookies…" He mumbled dejectedly to himself and began his slow decent back to the first floor.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Confused emerald eyes peered around the tall, lean, highly annoyed guard in front of her to see a young woman with long, indigo colored hair and pale lavender eyes staring at her in pure shock. She pursued her pink lips and twirled a strand of her long pink hair as she studied the woman in front of her as she did the same. 'Who is this woman? And why is she staring at me? How does she know my name?'

"Miss Sakura! You're here! W-" The woman with long indigo hair gasped as Shikamaru stepped in front of her, completely blocking Sakura from her view. "Shi-Shikamaru!"

"Hello Hinata. Did you not get the memo Tsunade sent out?" He asked coolly, his voice a low, dangerous drawl.

Hinata shrank back. "M-memo?"

Shikamaru sighed and glanced over his shoulder at Sakura then shook his head. "Yeah. Go read it. In fact go to Tsunade herself and ask. Meanwhile Sakura and I are going to the cafeteria. Goodbye Hinata." He finished up then grabbed Sakura's slim wrist and dragged her down the hall past Hinata.

After a few minutes, Sakura decided to break the silence. "That woman was Hinata?" She asked, staring at Shikamaru's tense back.

"Yeah." He answered slowly, stopping in front of the cafeteria. "Well…this is it…" He looked down at her and opened the door. "So you know her?" He asked slyly and raised an eyebrow in observation.

"Nope. You said her name." She brushed past him and walked inside, pausing a moment to look around. The cafeteria, much like the rest of the hospital, was painted a spotless white. Everything from the table and chairs to walls and ceiling was pure white; even the tiles on the flooring were shining in white. To the right was a wall of windows with barely visible rot iron bars crisscrossing on them and to the left was the cafeteria kitchen. "Seen enough?" Shikamaru's deep, drawling voice broke her trance. "Go take a seat, I'll get the coffee." He ordered then walked off towards the kitchen.

Sakura twisted her plump, pink lips then walked to the far right side of the cafeteria and took a seat. It was quiet and empty except for a few nurses chatting quietly at the opposite end of the room. She hummed lightly to herself as she drummed her fingers on the table, her eyes staring absently out into the partly cloudy sky.

It was evening, the sun was hiding behind a few clouds and the temperature was dropping as winter was drawing nearer and nearer. After a few minutes of silence, Shikamaru came strolling up balancing a large tray in one hand, his other tucked away in his pocket. "I brought you a large coffee and some snacks." He stated, placing the tray down in the middle of the table and taking the seat opposite her.

"Thanks." She answered dully, automatically reaching for the large, Styrofoam cup and pulling off the plastic lid. She watched as the steam escaped and billowed up between them. "Smells good." She noted, a small, calming smile dancing onto her pink lips.

The pineapple haired guard nodded and took his own coffee off the tray and opened the lid. "Yeah, it's Hazelnut. I didn't put any cream or sugar but left room for it." He nudged a couple packets of sugar and cream towards her. "There's also a slice of cheesecake-plain. One chocolate and one vanilla cupcake, some grapes, a banana…" He jutted his chin down at the tray as he poured a packet of sugar into his coffee. "I think that's a cream puff…" He eyed a sorry excuse of a desert that sat on the edge of the tray as he stirred his coffee then took a sip.

Sakura nodded as she absentmindedly stirred her coffee and stared out the now blurry window. "It's snowing…" She murmured to herself.

"Yeah…they said so on the forecast this morning." Shikamaru sighed as he leaned back into his chair.

A semi awkward silence settled between them with Sakura slowly fixing her coffee and Shikamaru staring out at the white tuffs of snow slowly building up on the edge of the window. "Better not be much…" He mumbled more to himself as he sipped his coffee. "Otherwise I might end up having to lend a hand in cleaning…"

"So…" Sakura tried to start a conversation, her long index finger twirling a strand of her pink hair around her finger over and over again.

"Yeah?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and looked at her, an air of indifference settling around him.

"Temari and Kankurou…? They're brother…?"

The now apathetic guard took a leisurely sip of his coffee before he met her curious gaze and shrugged. "Yeah, sorry you came all this way for nothing."

Sakura frowned and fiddled with an extra sugar packet. "I didn't come for nothing. I'm here as moral support."

"But rules are rules you know." He continued unfazed.

"I know I'm merely asking wha-"

"What type of patient their brother is? What is he like? Why is he in the solitary confinement wing?" He asked, an eyebrow raised at her shocked face. "That all falls under patient confidentially. It's not my place to say anything though if your friends choose to tell you anything I can't stop them."

Emerald eyes stared unblinking at the man in front of her. He sat there, absolutely comfortable with a coffee in one hand and a look of complete contentment on his face. He looked neither rushed nor bothered by her or her questions.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, her eyes narrowing her voice barely above a whisper.

"Excuse me?"

Her face flushed red in embarrassment and anger. "All you seem to care about are rules-rules rules rules! All I was asking was-"

"Questions that don't concern you." He frowned at her. "This is not your place Sakura. This is a mental hospital and you do not work here. You are a guest. A visitor." His cool eyes stared into her own. "I suggest you think about your future questions before asking them."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Gaara?" The rotund guard called as he led Temari and Kankurou to their brother's room. "Your guests are here."

"I can see that." A young, pale male with rusty red hair and dark circles around his eyes spoke. He sat at his desk, one book open on his knee as he stared mockingly at his older brother and sister. "Well hello. I'd invite you two in but I get the feeling that it's against the rules." He smirked, his deriding gaze stopping at Temari's paper boots. "I take it that's not your fashion choice?"

Chouji sighed and shook his head then walked to the side of Gaara's room and pulled out two folding chairs. "Here I'll take them." Kankurou took the chairs from the guard's chubby hands and smiled awkwardly. "Thanks." He mumbled then opened them both in front of the two-way glass.

Temari took her seat and tucked one leg behind the other then smiled nervously at her young, red headed brother. "Hi Gaara." She began, fiddling with the hem of her gray suit jacket.

The red head raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Hello." He greeted, his voice hollow.

"Temari." She mumbled.

"What?"

"Temari." She repeated. "My name is Temari."

Gaara snorted and kicked his feet up on his desk. "Whatever Temari." He tossed the book he was reading to the ground then lolled his head to the side to stare at Kankurou. "So what do I owe the honor to this…visit?" He asked, a cruel, sadistic smirk making its way to his lips.

Temari sighed and stared down at her boot covered feet. "I remember when you left…" She began abruptly.

"I'm sure you do…Sister Dear…" Gaara's teal orbs narrowed. "I remember well you know…I was four…four years old…remember the day Sister Dear? Remember? It was one week after my birthday…one week…" He stood up and walked calmly to the tempered glass that divided him and his siblings, his eyes staring into his older sister's apologetic orbs as painful memories began to resurface in his mind.

Olive eyes studied her youngest brother, taking in his sickly appearance of messy, rusty red hair that hung in his intense, malevolent teal eyes. His black patient uniform hung loose on his boney, pale body and he had bruises, old and new that dotted his forearms and knuckles. "How you been Gaara?" She whispered, her gaze flickering down to the collar wrapped around his neck flashing green.

Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow and leaned his forehead against the cool plane of the glass. "How have I been?" His voice dropped low and turned into heavy sarcasm. "I've been fantastic Temari. Fantastic."

"Gaara…listen…" Kankurou stood up and guilty smiled at the red head. "We're really fucking sorry man…really…we didn't mean-I mean, no…shit." He hung his head and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "We didn't know what really happened." He sighed. "I didn't know what really happened. I mean we were told and we sort of understood, but…there really isn't any excuse for the way we treated you…and…I know that you won't forgive us like that but we want to try. We're willing to make the effort here Bro…" He looked back up at his little brother.

"We want to get to know our little brother." Temari popped up, her face contorted in worry.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A young guard with tanned skin and upside down triangle tattoos on his face heaved a heavy sigh as he drug his aching body down the long, white, winding hallways of the hospital. "Can't wait to sit down…" He mumbled to himself, staring down the long hall. "Break time…break-"

Behind him he heard the echo of someone's shoe slapping down on the tile as they ran down the hall. "No…no I'm tired I don't want to chase another patient." He grumbled, screwing his eyes shut in hopes that he would turn invisible.

"Kiba!" A woman's voice traveled down the hall and reached his ears.

Grudgingly, he stopped and turned to face a very out of breath Hinata bent over a few paces behind him trying to catch her breath. She was wearing pale lavender nurse's scrubs and her long, indigo hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. When she looked up at him her cheeks were flushed and her pale eyes were panicked.

"What's wrong Hinata?" He asked, silently praying that it wouldn't involve him giving up his break.

"I-I can't find L-Lady Tsunade or-or-"

Kiba whimpered softly and nodded then slowly made his way over to Hinata. "Okay okay-don't hyperventilate!" He awkwardly patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Let's see-obviously their not in the office because you checked their…right?" He glanced down at her to see her nod as she dried the tears sliding down her red cheeks. "Right…let's check the grounds?"

"O-okay…" Hinata sniffed and nodded then proceeded to pull Kiba down the hall to the workers staircase. The tired guard suppressed a groan as he followed the young woman leading him down the many stairs until they reached the last door that led to the grounds outside. "Oh no!" She yelped and dropped his hand and clutched the edge of her purple scrubs.

"What's wrong?" He asked, trying to keep the annoyance from seeping into his voice.

"I don't have my pass key on me…" She turned her distraught gaze up to his face.

"How do you not have it? You need it to get-well anywhere!" He raised an eyebrow at her as he reached into the pocket and pulled out his pass key then swiped it on the keypad and punched in his code. "There." He pushed open the door as soon as it beeped.

"I was so worried about-"

"It's snowing!" Kiba gaped at the white landscape in front of them then looked up into the white sky. "How did I not notice?" He whispered and brushed past her onto the now snow covered grounds. After a few seconds of marveling at the white tuffs of snow, his face paled as realization began to dawn on him. "It's snowing…" He mumbled again, this time his voice breaking. "I have to shovel the walk…"

"Not now." Hinata ordered, her voice breaking as a cold wind swept down to the grounds and brushed up the flecks of snow. "Where are they?" She asked, her gaze sweeping the grounds.

"Over there-is that them?" Kiba pointed to two outlines in the distance, past the locked gates. "What are they doing?" He squinted and watched as the figures grew nearer, both hunched over against the cold.

"Oh!" Hinata gasped in understanding, her face turning red with embarrassment. "We had a shipment delivered today…"

"And?"

"And they needed to okay the…sorry…" Her blush deepened as Kiba's face went from confused to understanding to finally pure annoyance. "You can go on your break now…" She whispered, running her hands up and down her arms in attempt to get warm.

"Kiba! Hinata! Is that you?" Lady Tsunade's voice rang out through the snow. "Good it is you Kiba! You can get to work shoveling the walkways!"

"But it's my break!" He yelled back, brushing snow from his shoulders.

"That's an order Kiba!"

"…Damnit."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Shikamaru breathed out deeply as he stretched his locked muscles and looked up at the pink haired woman sitting opposite him. "I think your friends may be just about done." He spoke quietly, standing up. "I'll walk with you okay." He drawled and began to place everything back onto the tray.

"Okay." Sakura mumbled and stood up, stretching her back. Her gaze slid to the seasoned guard who was escorting her and she noted for the first time how he looked; he was tall and well toned, his skin was tanned but from what was visible, was dotted with bruises and scars, his features were soft.

"Let's go." The pineapple haired guard led her through the cafeteria to back out through the doors and into the hallway.

They walked in semi comfortable silence as Shikamaru led Sakura down the numerous white hallways back to the lobby. He walked a few paces in front of her while she lingered behind, trudging her feet, her intense emerald eyes trained on the spotless white flooring.

"What does it take to work here?" She asked out of the blue.

Shikamaru shot her a peculiar look. "Excuse me?"

"I applied for a job here." She blurted out, a rush of pink covering her cheeks as she stared down at her white high heeled shoes scuffing the white flooring.

"Uhm…"

"I didn't get it…obviously…" She continued on, her pink face clashing with her hair. "I thought I was perfect for the job, I mean I fit the criteria perfectly-I applied to be a physiatrist-and I worked for a hospital before so I have field experience, and I do a bit of it on the side-I mean I don't have any clientele right now but-so…why-I mean what am I lacking?" She turned her pleading, emerald eyes up to him.

Shikamaru swallowed an uncomfortable lump in his throat and shrugged the shock of her story passing. "I don't know." He answered, and resumed walking. "I don't make the decisions. I only work here. I don't decide who gets the jobs and who does."

"Yeah but-"

"Look if you ask me, you seem like a really nice girl." He turned to face her just before they entered the lobby. "This isn't the type of place you should be working at."

Sakura's mouth hung open in shock as his words connected to her brain.

"You should try a children's hospital or something, working with burn victims or the elderly." He tilted his head and ran a hand though the top of his hair. "This place isn't for nice girls like you. Maybe the Head Nurse did you a favor." His dark eyes roamed the empty halls. "I think Chouji should be bringing your friends up soon, why don't you go sit with the nurse over at the front desk while I go see if he needs some help?"

Numbly, Sakura followed his orders.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

Reviews are how I know what you think.

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Continue?

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	18. Chapter 18

L.

Hello, it's been awhile and I do apologize.

Please leave a review with your thoughts and or opinion.

Light after Dark

Chapter 18 

"You want to get to know me?" Gaara repeated slowly, a curious look crossing his features. "My blood brother and sister want to get to know me?" His eyes opened wide in a mocking fashion as he leaned away from the glass. "After how many years?" His voice dropped to a whisper as he turned away from the two of them, his movements becoming jerky and locked. "After abandoning…AFTER ABANDONING ME HERE IN THIS GLORIOUS HELL HOLE?" He suddenly whipped around; his teal eyes wild, his fingers twitching madly. "YOU SUDDENLY FEEL THE FUCKING NEED TO SEE ME?" He grabbed the chair and flung it at the two-way mirror, watching as it shattered against his sister's face. "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!" He roared and leaped at them, his fists pounding against the tempered glass.

"STEP AWAY FROM HIM!" Chouji yelled as he came running down the length of the hallway to them. "BACK AWAY FROM THE GLASS!" When he reached them, he bent over to catch his breath and grabbed a walkie talkie from his belt hoop, his eyes trained on the red head in front of him who was still pounding at the glass, his knuckles bloody and his eyes wild. "HOPE YOU TWO HAD A FUCKING GOOD TIME SEEING YOUR CRAZY LITTLE BROTHER!"He screamed after them.

"Go now!" Chouji backed away from the glass, his eyes locked on the red head as he grabbed Temari's arm and began to push her back up the hall. "MOVE!" He bellowed when Kankurou remained staring at his younger brother in shock. "YOU DID THIS! YOU DID THIS TO ME!" Gaara barked madly, his eyes trained on Temari, the weaker of the two.

"Hello?" Chouji spoke into the walkie talkie as he walked backwards up to his desk with the siblings behind him. "I need someone down in solitary confinement. Gaara is throwing what appears to be a temper tantrum. He had guests. I am in the process of removing them. Repeat I have guests with me." He commanded urgently, ushering the two dumbstruck visitors beside his desk next to another guard.

Within seconds a response came through. _"Chouji this is Asuma. I'm on my way with a nurse to administer his medications. Take his visitors up to lobby. Get them out of the Solitary Confinement wing." _

"Right." Chouji answered then clipped the walkie talkie back onto his belt. "Here." He grabbed the tray filled with their belongings off his desk and quickly ushered them though the open door the other guard was holding open. 

"HOPE YOU SLEEP GOOD TONIGHT SISTER DEAR!" Gaara's maniacal laughter followed them through the halls until the door shut behind them and they were once again standing in front of the elevator with the guard.

"…Erm…" Kankurou shifted uncomfortably as he handed his sister back her shoes. Wordlessly she put them back on along with her jewelry. "If you two are-" Chouji was cut off as another guard burst through the elevator doors, the bars in front of the elevator doors hardly opening before he squeezed himself through, a nurse at his heels.

"Asuma!" The rotund guard greeted and backed away giving him some space.

"Chouji." Asuma stopped directly in front of him, looming over his frame. His face was hard and determined, eyes turned into slits, absently he stroked his beard. He was much older than Chouji, but defiantly more fit. He radiated strength, power, and the ability to handle anything under pressure; unlike Chouji who seemed out of his element no matter the situation. "I told you to get them up to the lobby." He grunted as he turned his back to them and swiped his card then punched in his code, the nurse at his side.

"You heard him, into the elevator." Chouji nodded at the two bewildered siblings. "Hurry up please it's for your own safety." With that said, he shoved the two of them into the elevator and locked the gate. "Click the first floor button." Was all he said before the doors shut and he turned back around.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"You know Deidara…" A woman with short blue hair pulled into a low messy bun turned to the man seated beside her at the kitchen table. "You really ought to be nicer to Tobi." She tapped her long index finger against her half empty coffee cup. "He looks up to you, you know."

Deidara growled and leaned on one arm, his long blonde hair falling into his face. "I don't give a shit." His tanned face contorted as he thought of the orange mask wearing pest always tailing him. "He's annoying." Absently, he drummed his fingers on the table as another member pulled out the chair opposite him. "Sup Hidan."

"Hey Deidara. What crawled up your ass an died?" The silver, slick haired male asked around a cruel grin as he sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee. "When's dinner?" He addressed the blue haired woman seated beside the blonde. "Konan?"

"Watch your mouth Hidan." She frowned and sipped her coffee. "Like I was saying-be nicer to Tobi. He's taking the situation real hard you know."

"And like I said I don't give a shit."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Shikamaru sighed as he strolled up to the elevator and nodded to the guard standing beside it. "Hold on a moment Sir, I think someone's coming up." The guard stepped in front of the gate, his hands poised to either open or lock it. When the doors opened, it revealed two disheveled guests. The guard opened the gate and stepped aside for them to exit.

"Are you two alright?" Shikamaru asked, a frown settling on his face as he took in their dazed faces and stiff bodies. "What happened?" He stepped up to them and held out an arm to steady Temari.

"Uh…h…w…" She stuttered then gave up, her eyes turning glassy.

"Okay…come on lets go to the lobby." The pineapple haired guard took control and gripped their arms then proceeded to forcefully pull them down the halls until they reached the lobby. They stumbled a few times in his haste to get them as far away from the wing as possible. Within a few minutes he had them standing awkwardly in the lobby, their minds far away. "Nurse? Get these two over to the chairs and get some tea in them." He ordered the young woman behind the desk.

"Oh my-what happened?" Sakura gasped as she jumped up from her seat against the window and dashed over to them.

"I'll be back in a minute." He pointedly ignored the pink haired young woman in favor of speaking to the nurse who rushed over and took Kankurou's hand to lead him over to the sofa. Shikamaru quickly strode out of the lobby and into the hall then pulled the walki talkie out of its clasp at his belt and clicked a button. "Hey Chouji." He spoke.

After a few seconds the talkie crackled to life_. "Shikamaru?"_

The pineapple headed guard sighed a breath of relief and leaned against the wall. "So you mind telling me what the hell just happened?"

"_Haha…well you see…I'm not quite sure. All of a sudden I just head Gaara yelling and cursing then he just threw his chair at the glass and started freaking out. I got them out of there are soon as possible and Asuma is down here with a nurse sedating him." _

Shikamaru nodded slowly, taking in the information. "Oh…alright…It's too soon to find out what set him off though…"

"_Yeah…how are they? They were pretty shaken when I sent them up."_

"Good as can be after seeing your brother just go barmy." The pineapple headed guard answered absently, pushing his back off the wall in favor of slowly walking over to the window in front of him.

"_I suppose…"_

"Is Gaara okay now or should I go call Tsunade?"

Shuffling was heard on the other end accompanied by far off screams of pain, a few yelps then finally silence. _"No…they got it." _

"Alright well they're probably expecting me Chouji. Thanks."

"_Okay." _With that said, the conversation ended and the listless guard made his way back into the lobby. Slowly but surely he made his way over to the group in the entrance hall and took in their appearances. Temari still looked out of it but her brother seemed significantly better. His face was no longer pale and his eyes were back in focus, unlike his sister. Sakura seemed perplexed by the entire situation but didn't seem in any hurry to find out what exactly happened. The nurse on the other hand was only all too happy to see him and immediately began pestering him for information.

"Sir!" She began, jumping up from her spot beside the blonde haired woman in distress. "What happened? They won't tell me a thing…" She glanced down at Kankurou who took her spot beside his sister. "Should I call for Lady Tsunade? Or security? Is everything alright? What happened?"

Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh and shoved both his hands into his pockets. "Everything is fine. Can you get their coats and belongings?" He drawled. With a disappointed and slightly insulted puff the nurse nodded and marched off to fetch their things. He watched until she was out of earshot then looked down at Kankurou. "Your brother is now fine."

Awkward silence.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably.

Kankurou slowly stood up. "He's okay now?" He whispered, not wanting to gain his sisters full attention.

"Yeah."

"What the hell happened? Do you know?" He leaned forward and dropped his voice lower. "He just fucking flipped out down there…"

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. "Yes well…you or your sister might have done something to set him off."

"I-we-"

"Here are your things." The nosey nurse reappeared, her arms filled with their belongings and a bright, meddlesome smile on her face.

"Thanks." Kankurou grabbed their things and began to distribute them appropriately then he slipped on his coat and helped his sister into her own. "I think it best you go now." Shikamaru spoke up, his face a mask of interest.

"Yeah…" Kankurou sighed and grabbed Temari's arm then nodded at Sakura that they were leaving now. "Yes well…thank you for everything I suppose." Kankurou held out his hand for Shikamaru to shake. "I-we-appreciate it."

"No problem." The guard answered swiftly and clasped the outstretched hand. "Drive carefully. It's still snowing." With that said he stepped away from the group and led them to the doorway.

Sakura sighed and followed Temari and Kankurou out the front doors, her face flushed as the cold, biting wind hit her face along with bits of snow. Slightly exasperated, she hitched the collar of her coat closer to her throat and cast a glance back at the hospital, her eyes scanning the windows for any sign of life. She saw none.

"Hey come on Sakura! It's cold!" Kankurou's deep voice cut though her stupor. She looked back at them to see him standing at the driver's door, one foot in the car as he brushed some of the snow pile off of the roof. Her gaze darted down to Temari who was already seated in the backseat. Quickly, she jogged down to the car just as he shut his door. "I didn't think it'd be so cold today…or that it'd snow…" He mumbled absently as he jammed the key into the ignition and started the car. "Give it a while before I turn on the heat okay."

"Okay." She answered, glancing at the quiet Temari seated in the back seat. "Hey…Temari?" She asked, her voice low; even as Kankurou got out of the car and began to clean the windshield. "How are you feeling?"

Olive eyes continued to stare down at her hands folded in her lap. "Not fantastic…" She chuckled dryly as her brother quickly jumped back into the car after haphazardly cleaning the windshield and side windows.

After a few seconds, the woman looked up and heaved a heavy sigh. "Sakura I think this was a mistake." She spoke, her voice soft as her brother began to pull out of the parking lot. Carefully, he drove down the snow-covered drive and paused at the open gate, his eyes locked on the white landscape in front of him. "Damnit, they haven't plowed yet…" He muttered to himself and he eased off the brakes and switched on traction control. "I thought it was just the hospital…"

Emerald eyes opened wide. "What? Why? What happened?" She stared at Temari though her reflection in the rearview mirror. "Do you not want to talk?"

"It's…he…"

"Take it easy Tem. It just happened." Kankurou spoke, his voice serious as he turned on the heat. "I think it best if you just give it a little time to digest Tem." He sighed as he gripped both hands on the wheel and squinted as he tried to see through the snow.

"So do I if it was that horrid." Sakura agreed buckling her seatbelt. "Wow it's really snowing now isn't it?"

They drove in silence for awhile, Sakura staring out the window at the snow, Kankurou humming quietly in attempt to concentrate on the road and Temari staring down at her hands.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After about thirty minutes, Kankurou decided to pull over in a gas station to fill up the tank. "At this rate" He muttered, turning off the engine. "It'll take us ages to reach back home." He sighed and opened the drivers door, cursing as the cold air whipped into the car.

Sakura sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she turned to face Temari sitting quietly in the back. "Hey do you want some coffee? I'm going to go buy some…" She craned her neck to see into the little gas station house. "I think they have a little coffee shop in there…"

The blonde woman shifted then nodded. "Yeah…thanks Sakura…" She whispered, twiddling her fingers.

Emerald eyes blinked then she nodded. "Of course. I'll be right back okay." With that said she jumped out of the car, shut the door behind her and dashed into the mini store. Inside, she breathed a sigh of relief as the warm air met her skin and melted the tiny snowflakes that clung to the exposed skin of her face and hands.

"Sakura?" A deep voice spoke in confusion.

Pink hair flew as her head shot up, her eyes met Kankurou's familiar face. "Oh! Hi…your sister wants some coffee." She answered his unasked question.

"Oh…alright." He nodded and stuck one hand in his pocket and withdrew a crushed twenty dollar bill and held it up to her. "Here pay with this. Buy some snacks too, I'll be outside."

Sakura's cheeks dusted pink as stared at the money. "Oh but I-"

"Don't worry 'bout it." He shrugged coolly and shoved the bill into her hands. "Just hurry up."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"You took your sweet time." Kankurou chuckled as he opened the passenger door for the pinkett then hustled to get in on his side. "I was just thinking…" Sakura mumbled thoughtfully as she settled into the car and turned on the heat.

"About?"

"That guard was an ass." Sakura answered simply as she adjusted herself in the passenger seat then passed a cup of coffee back to Temari.

"Who? Shikamaru?" Kankurou asked absently. "He seemed nice to me." He took the bag of snacks from her lap and sifted through them.

"What I mean is…he's just there as…as a job? He doesn't really seem to care about anything. He's completely apathetic." She spat and handed him is cup.

Kankurou raised an eyebrow at her as he placed the coffee in the cup holder and pulled out of the gas station, two packs of Cheetos in his lap. "I could be wrong but…isn't it best if he's apathetic? I mean think about it, he works in a mental hospital. What would happen if he became too attached to any one patient?"

The pinkett huffed and ran her fingers through her locks. "I suppose…but he…he…"

"He said something to piss you off?" He offered. "Look don't get yourself worked up over him. He did his job and he did it well. That's all that matters."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young man with spiky blonde hair quietly grumbled to himself as he impatiently paced the living room flooring. He walked back and forth in front of the silver haired, injured male who sat beside the now completely healthy chicken assed hair male.

"Naruto stop pacing. Your making my head hurt." The midnight blue haired young man growled lowly. "I'm sure she's fine."

Blue eyes turned into slits. "Shut up Sasuke you don't know the whole story." Naruto spat, gnawing on his knuckles as he yet again, paced. "She should be back by now right? It's evening…" He strode over to the blinds and drew them open, one hand shoved into the pocket of his plaid pajama pants.

"Early in the evening Naruto." Kakashi spoke up, scratching his chin. "Plus it's snowing out."

"I know!" The young, spiky blonde blew up. "That's why I'm worried! It's snowing and she isn't back yet! She could be hurt-or stuck somewhere!"

"She's with Kankurou." Sasuke muttered, closing his eyes in attempt to ward off the impending headache . "I'm pretty sure he knows how to drive."

"Pretty sure! That's what I mean! We don't know!" He cried, throwing himself onto the lounge chair. "This is why she shouldn't have gone…shit my heart won't stop racing-I'm so worried about her!" He sighed, one hand over his heart. "She's going to give me a heart attack one day…" He mumbled, throwing his other arm over his eyes.

Sasuke sighed and stood up, stretching his arms up to the ceiling. "Or an ulcer. Anyone want coffee? I'm making some."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	19. Chapter 19

Hello, it's been ages since an update, I apologize for that. Though FanFiction has been giving me some problems really.

Enjoy, L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 19

"Oh Sakura your okay!" Naruto yelled, flinging his arms around the tired pinkett as soon as she walked through the door, covered in snow. "You had me so worried! Dropping a bomb and then taking off!" He bawled stridently. Sakura sighed but sluggishly wrapped her arms around her best friend. "I'm sorry Naru. Don't cry. I'm fine see?" Absently she rubbed soothing circles onto his back as she tried to move away from the drafty door.

"Let go of her idiot; she's cold and tired." A slightly annoyed voice demanded from the living room.

Emerald eyes scanned the room till they found the source of the voice. "Oh Sasuke! You're okay now?" She asked, concerned, taking in his appearance and looking for any sign of sickness.

The midnight chicken haired male shrugged coolly. "Yeah…" He answered, slightly uncomfortable by her roaming eyes. "…Thanks…"

Sakura nodded and sent him a smile. "No problem I suppose. So your fevers all gone? How do you feel? Achy? Tired? Stiff?" She strode up to him, brushing past Naruto as she took off one glove and laid her cool fingers against his forehead. "Because if you are it means you're still not completely over your-"

"Sakura leave him alone-he's fine. Now would you be so kind as to inform us of why you went to that asylum?" Kakashi's voice cut her off as he hobbled to his feet, his good hand bracing his ribs and loomed over her small frame. "Naruto is right. You dropped a bomb then ran."

Sakura sighed and stripped off her coat, tossed it over the door handle then plopped herself down on the empty loveseat. "Okay, alright I get it. I owe you all an explanation." She smacked her lips and kicked off her boots, watching as the fell untidily to the floor. "Temari was concerned about seeing her little brother again after all the years so she asked me to accompany her and her brother." She stated simply, tossing her gloves onto the flooring as well and watching as Naruto's eyes followed their decent with consternation. "It wasn't like I devised some sort of master plan to sneak into the hospital and hold a gun to their head till they hired me." She derided and sunk down lower into the seat.

Naruto nodded and absently scratched his stomach, torn between cleaning up after his best friend or pestering her for more information. "Well…how-how'd it go?"

"I don't really know. I wasn't allowed down in the solitary confinement wing because I'm not family but when they came back, they seemed really shaken up." She shrugged inattentively. "I don't know if it was the shock of seeing him after all the years or the fact that he was really locked up in a hospital."

Kakashi nodded silently, his dark eyes dropping to the floor as his mind whirled with possibilities.

"Yeah well…" Naruto shrugged awkwardly. "Gotta be hard either way…" He muttered more to himself than to anyone else. "Anyways…did you eat yet? Are you hungry?" He busied himself with picking up her gloves, boots and outside coat.

"How about some coffee?" Sasuke asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Sure." The pinkett stood up and trotted after him, taking a seat at the counter and leaving Naruto to clean up her mess.

After a few seconds, the spiky blonde entered the kitchen having already placed her clothing in the designated hall closet. "What do you want for dinner?" He asked, joining the brooding midnight blue haired male in the kitchen. "Breakfast for dinner?" He offered, rummaging through the fridge.

Onyx eyes rolled as Sasuke handed Sakura the steaming cup of coffee. "Why don't we order out for once?" He asked simply, moving around the counter and taking the seat beside the tired, emerald eyed young woman. "We've all had a long stressful day. Let's not add to it by arguing or making dinner."

"I agree." Sakura sighed and sipped the hot java. "I feel like Chinese food."

"So do I." The silver haired male hobbled into the kitchen, bracing himself against the wall. "Order Chinese Naruto."

Baby blue eyes sparkled as he pouted. "But I can make it…"

"Naru just order…" Sakura looked up at him under tired eyes. "I'm going to go take a shower and I would like to eat when I come out." She glanced around at Sasuke and Kakashi, taking note of their stressed faces. "And it looks like I'm not the only one." She stood up, coffee in hand and walked to stand in front of her sad, spiky haired best friend. "Thanks for offering but it's just easier to order out tonight." She wrapped her small arms around his trim waist and kissed his cheek. "See you guys in a bit." And with that said, she disappeared down the dark hallway.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Wordlessly, Temari opened the front door, kicked off her shoes, ripped off her jacket and sank into the nearest living room chair. Behind her, Kankurou sighed and locked the front door as he followed his older sister. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, he cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes. "Well isn't he a piece of work…"

The blonde woman heaved a heavy sigh and reclined her neck onto the back of the chair.

"At least we know he's doing alright." He ventured again.

"If you can call that alright." Temari whispered. "He's completely…completely…"

"Mental." Kankurou finished, leaning forward on his elbows and balancing them on his knees.

"Yeah…"

"But he's alive. And healthy-physically."

She snorted derisively. "Healthy? Were you even looking at him?" Her olive eyes glared daggers at her younger brother sitting opposite her. "He's sick Kankurou. Sick. Mentally and physically. Did you see the bruises on his arm? And how pale he was? I bet he's not even eating…"

Brown eyes met olive orbs. "Tem. He's in a mental hospital. He has a mental problem. Did you even consider the possibility that he inflicted the bruises onto himself?"

Shock grazed her features as his words sunk into her brain. "…Yeah…but-"

"No Tem. I know you feel bad about the situation but face it." He stood up, his face devoid of emotion. "Our little brother isn't okay. And it's not our fault." He shook his head. "And we can't fuel the blame he's placing on us-it won't help anyone. He can't help how he feels Tem. He's been in that place most of his life-of course he would have misguided hatred towards us-or even guided hatred." He turned his gaze towards her. "But it's not your fault sis. Or mine. This situation was out of our control the moment he was born."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Pink hair fanned out around Sakura as she began stripping off her sweat stained clothing and tossing them down on the bathroom flooring. She spared her sticky, crumpled, white collared, shirt one last glance before she turned on the hot water and let it run before slowly turning on the cold and then climbing in, allowing the warm water to sooth her aching skin.

"What a day…" She whispered to the steam filled bathroom. 'Will Kakashi tell me more tonight? After this whole…fiasco? I mean I wouldn't blame him if he doesn't want to talk tonight…but still…it would be nice to hear more…but I understand if he'd rather just go to bed after dinner…'A few moments past with the only sounds of the water splashing onto her skin and then into the bathtub before she snapped to her senses and began to wash up.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Alright I want Ramen." The spiky blonde announced loudly, studying the Chinese order menu laid out before him.

Kakashi sighed and leaned his elbow on the counter top. "Naruto, it's a Chinese take-out restaurant." He said patiently.

"I know." Blue eyes narrowed as he perused the soup section.

"Therefore they won't have Ramen idiot." Sasuke grabbed the menu from his friend and began to scribble down what he wanted on a spare piece of paper.

"I want fried rice." The sliver haired male glanced over Sasuke's shoulder at the menu. "And fried chicken wings-don't forget lo-ming."

Sasuke nodded and wrote down the order. "What about Sakura?"

"Oh how about fried shrimps?" Naruto asked, momentarily forgetting his annoyance at his midnight blue haired friend. "And an egg roll…and those noodles…"

"Alright." Sasuke mumbled. "That's it right?"

Silver hair swayed as Kakashi nodded and Sasuke grabbed the house phone off its hook. "I'll order it."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Systematically, Sakura swept her long, wet, pink hair up into a loose bun atop her head as she dried her skin and changed into her black and pink stripped pajama pants and Hell Bunny tee shirt. Without thinking she creamed her body, prepped her face for the night, and pulled on her bedroom boots then left her dark bedroom, pulling in the door behind her.

"Saku that you?" Naruto's loud, concerned, hyper voice echoed down the hall to her.

"Of course it's her you idiot. Who'd you think it'd be? The fucking Goblin that lives in the basement come up to make you some Ramen?" Sasuke's highly annoyed, frustrated voice followed. That brought a small smile to the pinkett's face as she poked her head around the wall and into the living room. There she was met with the warm, comfortable, family setting she didn't realize she was craving.

On the couch lay the injured Kakashi, one long muscular arm folded behind his head, the other injured one resting on his stomach, his eyes were closed with a small, contented, fatherly look about his face. Sprawled on the ground was Naruto; his tanned face grinning up at her with Sasuke's foot caught in his hand as he tried to kick the spiky blonde in the ribs.

"Hey Saku! We ordered the food-should be here any minute!" Naruto locked eyes with her as she slid down the arm of a chair and nestled into the seat.

"I ordered the food. He did nothing but complain about Ramen." The onyx eyed male yanked his foot out of the blonde's hand and moved to sit down at the end of the couch Kakashi was laying on.

Sakura nodded slowly, the small, contented smile still resting on her plump, pink lips as she just took in the moment; enjoying the fact that though she didn't have a blood family, she had a family none-the-less.

"So how are you feeling?" Naruto asked, rolling over to her so that he was directly in front of the chair as he sat up and placed his head against her thigh.

"I'm fine Naru." She mumbled, closing her emerald orbs and running her fingers through his hair messy hair, slowly taking out some of the tangles clinging to the ends. "Just hungry."

Just then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Naruto jumped to his feet and grabbed the money off of the side table.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Sakura chewed her lower lip as she helped her spiky haired best friend clear the table. She grabbed the four empty glasses and placed them in the wash then turned and almost collided with a pile of dirty dishes. "Okay Saku." Naruto chuckled. "I think it's time you go to bed. I'll clean up." He placed the dishes on the counter top and nudged her out of the way.

"No I'll-I mean you all got everything an-"

"And I thought you and Kakashi were going to have a nice long talk again?" He raised a curious eyebrow at her over his shoulder.

Pink dusted her cheeks as the thought of unveiling another part of her life flew into her mind. "I-I thought…"

"That I wouldn't tell you anymore?" Kakashi finished from behind her. Pink hair flew as she turned to see the tall, silver haired man who adopted her as his own staring down at her, a light twinkle in his dark eyes. "Why Sakura…I thought you knew me better than that?" He held out a slightly calloused hand to her and nodded to the hallway that led to her room.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Kakashi nodded and sat down at the foot of her bed. "Where did we leave off?"

"Kindergarten." She answered, slipping in-between the blankets and settling down into a comfortable position as her fingers worked at the messy bun atop her head; trying to undo it.

"Of course…well obviously you attended regular school, got amazing grades and made some good friends. Things were good. You were happy, despite not having real parents in your life. But as with everything else, all good things must come to an end." He sighed and stared down at the flooring. "It began in high school."

Sakura nodded intently, egger to learn more about her past.

"Your freshman year in high school was when you really started avoiding home. If you weren't spending the night with me, it was with either Sasuke or Naruto; you're father really began to lash out at you. He used verbal and sometimes physical abuse. In short he fucked with your mind." Kakashi shook his head and sighed. "It was that year you met Konan. She was a senior and she introduced you to…uhm…" A dark look flashed in his eyes before he continued. "She told you about The Akatsuki Organization and convinced you to join…you met Deidara and Itachi through the meetings you attended and really got to know them through the classes you all had together…the three of you spent a lot of time together actually…" He racked a hand though his messy silver hair. "To be honest you three were best friends…sort of like how you are with Naruto…" His gaze flickered up to her face before he took a deep breath to continue.

"Wait so I was in a…a…organization?" She cut him off, confused.

Kakashi nodded, an eyebrow raised in mild judgment. "Yeah…I didn't know much about it either because you were sworn to secrecy…"

Emerald eyes lit up in surprise. "If-then how do you know?"

Silver hair swayed as he leaned back to lie on the bed covers, grimacing as a flash of pain spread up from his ribs. "Sakura…do you really want to know your entire past?" He asked quietly, his eyes trained on the ceiling.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"When is this shit going to end?" Kiba groaned, downing another shot and motioning for the waitress to bring him another.

Shikamaru's eyes followed the waitress as she brought another two shot glasses filled to the brim. "Soon. I hope." He muttered vaguely, running his finger along the edge of his half empty glass of ice and Vodka.

"When's soon?" The young man with triangle tattoos on his cheek asked before swirling his shot and throwing it down his throat.

The pineapple haired guard sighed and leaned back in his chair as he casually nursed his drink. "Not as long as awhile?"

"Don't bullshit me man I'm tired! Working there's even more stressful than before!"

"Well it's a job. If you don't like it get a new one." Shikamaru stated matter-of-factly.

"You know I can't!"

"Well then." He shrugged.

"Shut up." Kiba muttered snidely, glaring down at his now empty glass.

"You asked."

"And I'm buying so how about some actual answers?"

Shikamaru sighed and leaned back into the booth, one hand on his glass. "Well Sakura was here today."

"What?"

"Yeah. She was here along with Temari and Kankurou. Siblings of Gaara."

"Gaara has siblings?"

"Apparently. A brother and sister."

Kiba chuckled and shook his head. "Who would have thought…continue."

Shikamaru nodded and sipped his beer. "Sakura didn't actually see Gaara; she hung back with me in the cafeteria while Temari and Kankurou went down. However, I heard from Choji that Gaara did nothing but taunt them-bringing up bad memories, placing blame, goading them."

Brown hair swayed as Kiba shook his head. "Some family reunion. And where was I during all this?"

"I think you were on brake weren't you?"

The brown haired guard groaned. "Nooo…actually I was out shoveling the goddamn walk for Tsunade." He sighed heavily and rubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes. "Great, the one thing that everyone feared to happen happened. And where was I? Out in the fucking cold shoveling the walkway. Just my luck."

The pineapple haired guard shrugged and sighed. "It wasn't anything special." He mumbled. "She hasn't changed. She's still annoyingly naïve and keeps poking her nose where it doesn't belong."

Kiba raised an eyebrow at his friend then shrugged. "Well what are you going to do? It's her nature isn't it?" Absently he rubbed his nose. "A need to help people…"

"Or save them."

"Is it possible?"

Shikamaru sipped his beer. "Is what possible?"

"To save someone." Kiba tossed the shot down his throat then grimaced as it burned. "Can you actually save someone from themselves?"

The young, pineapple haired guard stared over his friend's messy brown hair and closed his eyes. "No. It's impossible to save anyone." His gaze flickered down to his now empty beer bottle. "And it's conceded of her to think that she can."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

Reviewing would be nice.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	20. Chapter 20

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 20

Emerald eyes stared up at the man who now sat beside her. She watched him, taking in the serious set of his eyes, the smallest crinkle beside his nose and the firm set of his mouth. 'He's…serious…' After a few silent seconds she nodded and cleared her throat. "Yes, I really want to know about my entire past." She spoke, her voice wavering only slightly. She noticed the slightest flicker in his dark eyes. "Every detail…" She whispered. "Every last miniscule detail…"

After a few seconds Kakashi heaved a heavy sigh, ran a hand over his face and then relaxed into the pillows beside Sakura. "Okay…alright I won't leave anything out." He cleared his throat and adjusted the blanket. "As I was saying, you were part of the organization. You didn't or rather couldn't tell any of us because you were sworn to secrecy; one slip up and you were as good as dead." His eyes flickered down to her to see her small hands fist in the bed sheet. "Though I highly doubt they would have actually killed you-you were too valuable to them."

Sakura relaxed slightly at his words. "Valuable?"

"Ah yes. Valuable. You see apart from being the most charming one of the bunch, you were adaptable to any situation, an excellent doctor to them and you held the pin code to the bank account that had all of their money in it." He closed his eyes. "You were the only one who knew the code; therefore it would be incredibly stupid of them to kill you because you accidently slipped to Sasuke. Anyway, I found out when one day…" His voice drifted softer as his dark eyes glazed over in memory. "One day when…you…you were…and I…"

Sakura's emerald orbs stared up at the man beside her. "Kakashi?" She whispered softly.

"You left your jacket at my house." He continued on, not meeting her searching gaze. "It was cold out, so I followed you to Deidara's-one of your friends. Of course at the time I had no idea you were friends with him, I only assumed that your father had gotten you involved in…"

"Involved in what?"

Absently, he began to stroke the top of her head as he spoke, the edge of the cast lightly grazing her skull. "Sakura the first thing you must understand is that Akatsuki organization-though their name says it's an organization- is not actually one. They are better explained as a gang, or organized criminals."

"I was in a gang?" She whispered, disbelievingly.

"Organized criminals. Not many people knew who the members were, I was one of the few who learned though the grapevine who some of them were. When I saw you going to his house, I was shocked. I couldn't believe my eyes. Naturally I assumed you were going over to Naruto's and for a second, when I saw that door open and that blonde hair I was relived. But then I realized it wasn't Naruto. It was Deidara. By that time you had already gone inside and the door was shut."

Emerald eyes opened wide in fascination. "So what did you do?"

"What did I do? I went in there and saved you. Or rather, I thought I was saving you. In actuality you were the one who was safe; I was the one who just got a whole organization pissed off at me." He let out a nervous chuckle. "So there I went-I basically broke down the poor guy's door, destroyed everything in my path until I found you, hiding behind Deidara and Itachi. That only worried me further, I thought they were keeping you there, chained to the flooring or something."

Sakura gasped and grabbed his hand. "Was I really?"

"Was you really what?" Kakashi glanced down at her, his eyes darting to her long finger nails slowly digging into his flesh and he mentally tried to fight off the pain.

"Chained to the floor? Did they really do that?"

"Oh no, they would never do that-not to you anyway. Turns out you were willingly hiding behind them."

Relief flooded over her features before bewilderment set in. "I was? Why would I do that?"

"My guess is you were scared of me; scared of what I'd think if I found out you had joined them."

"And did I have right to be?"

"…Yes and no."

Awkward silence.

Sakura chewed the side of her cheek before nudging her adoptive father. "Well, continue please."

"I almost beat the living shit out of Deidara." He began at once.

"You didn't!"

"No, I didn't. I only gave him a black eye, bloody nose, and a few broken fingers. And through it all, he didn't fight back." Silver hair swayed as he nodded disbelievingly.

"Why not? I mean you were…"

"My guess is he didn't want you to view him as the bad guy…or maybe he didn't want you to view me as the evil one…he knew what he was and he knew what you were. Deep down he knew that you didn't belong with them and didn't agree with what they were doing. But it was the only life that he knew and he couldn't give you any better."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean they showed you very little of their operations. In fact, they went out of their way to make sure you never actually knew what they were doing. You were the boss' favorite."

"I was?"

"Yes. You wormed your way into his heart; in fact he actually gave you a key to his front door-you were welcome to his house any time you wanted. Same with Deidara, Konan, and Itachi."

"Konan?"

"Oh right, I didn't tell you much about her did I?"

Sakura squinted in thought. "Not that I can remember…describe her to me? Actually describe them all if you will."

Kakashi repositioned himself before beginning again. "Alright, Deidara is a little taller than Naruto, with long blonde hair, tanned skin and a lot of old scars that never seem to fade. Itachi is taller than him, he's pale with black hair and lines on his face."

"Lines?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean lines? Like…scars?"

"I don't know Sakura; I never actually got around to the whole sitting peacefully with one another and shooting the breeze."

"Oh…right…"

"Konan is a woman, clearly. Tall, with blue hair."

"That's it?"

"Again. Never sat down and chatted much."

"Right…" A comfortable silence settled between them before Sakura broke it with a whispered question that was plaguing her mind since the night before. "Sempai?"

"Yes?"

She tilted away from him a bit before asking her question. "What should I call you?"

Awkward silence.

Kakashi shifted until he could look down at her. "What was that?"

Emerald eyes darted up to his face before staring down at his cast and idly poking it with her finger nail. "What should I call you? Like…Sempai? Or…Otosan?"

The silver haired parent thought for a moment before he answered. "You are more than welcome to call me Otosan if you like." He whispered and pulled her closer to his warm body before wrapping his injured arm around her shoulder.

"…Okay." Sakura leaned her head on his shoulder as he sunk in lower between the sheets. Together, they began to drift off into the realm of sleep. After a few, long, quiet, peaceful moments, Kakashi spoke. "If memory serves," He mumbled. "You might have an old album with their pictures somewhere in the back of your closet." He moved slightly to look down at the pink haired woman lying on his shoulder only to find her eyes closed, her breathing even, and her face relaxed. A small, sad smile settled on his face as he gazed down at her. "Good night Sakura…sweet dreams." He then placed a light kiss atop her head before drifting off to sleep himself.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

The next morning, Sasuke woke to the bright light streaming into his eyes. Wordlessly, he sat up and groped the top of his bedside table in attempt to locate his cell phone. After lightly stretching and rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his eyes he stared down at his blinking cell to see a text message waiting for him. Immediately, he tapped the screen and the envelope opened to reveal the message. His eyes darted back and forth as he read it.

'_Morning Chicken-Haired-Jerk. Made breakfast for everyone at Sempai's. Yours in the micro. Go over as soon as possible, I have work. Keep an eye on Saku-was acting weird this morning. -Naruto'_

Mild annoyance flickered though his eyes before he texted back.

'_Thanks spineless-freak. Just woke up. Will head over in 45min. What happened this morning with Sakura?' _

As he waited for the reply, he swung his legs out of bed and began to stretch again then headed out of his bedroom and into the kitchen where he got a reply.

'_Just woke up? Its fucking 11AM! Get your ass over there! Sakura zoned out this morning after breakfast on the patio. She was sitting on a chair, staring at one of the flowers. Went up to her, she snapped out of it but her eyes were still glazy. Think she's regaining her memory. Watch her today.' _

A frown settled on Sasuke's face as his fingers flew over the screen of his phone.

'_Idiot! I told you she's been regaining her memory! Every night she dreams of Gaara!' _

'_Don't say his name! It's bad luck!'_

Onyx eyes rolled.

'_I didn't say it I texted it. Dimwit.' _

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A tall, busty blonde woman smiled pleasantly into her morning cup of coffee as she seated herself behind her desk and looked down at the number staring back at her. Absently, she placed the steaming mug of coffee on a pile of documents and picked up the brightly colored sticky note with the name Kakashi Hatake scribbled on it. "I knew you would come through Shizune." She mumbled to herself and stared at the digits for a few more seconds before placing the note back down.

Her golden orbs looked around her office for the first time that morning and bewilderment began to set in when she noticed the woman in question was nowhere to be seen. "Shizune?" She called experimentally.

No answer.

"Shizune!" She tried louder.

Still no response.

"At least she did as I asked before disappearing." She muttered and glared at the door before reaching for her coffee and taking a bracing gulp. "Better do this now." Her long fingers reached for her desk phone as her eyes scanned the numbers for Kakashi.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Thirty minutes later, Sasuke found himself dressed in a simple black long sleeved shirt, dark blue trousers, and sitting in Kakashi's kitchen eating his reheated breakfast which consisted of fried eggs, bacon, toast, marmalade, orange juice and coffee. He ate his toast with one hand and propped up the morning papers in front of him with his other. Absently, he reached for his coffee and sipped it just as the phone rang. After two rings he looked up from the paper and glared at the offending phone sitting innocently on the counter top near him. With an annoyed sigh, he tossed the paper down and answered. "Hello?"

"_Good morning. Is this the Hatake residence? May I speak with Kakashi_?" An authoritative woman's voice sounded through the line.

Onyx eyes narrowed in suspicion. "This is the Hatake residence. May I ask whom this is?" He answered back just as briskly.

"_To whom am I speaking to?" _The woman dodged his question.

"Whom am I speaking to?" He placed the emphasis on the word 'I'.

Just then, Kakashi walked cooling into the kitchen, his ribs not causing as much pain like the days prier; he looked mildly curious at Sasuke's annoyed expression.

"Alright Ma'am." Sasuke cut her off and held out the phone to Kakashi. The silver haired man frowned as he took the phone from Sasuke's outstretched hand. "Who is it?" He asked, delaying putting the phone to his ear. Sasuke merely shrugged, a dark look crossing his face.

"Hello?" Kakashi eventually answered.

"_Hello, is this Kakashi?" _

Kakashi's frown deepened as the voice on the other end registered with his brain. "Tsunade?" He turned away from Sasuke who was now returning to his breakfast, effectively shutting out the previous unusual conversation.

"_Yes, it is me." _

"What are you doing calling here?" He asked, his voice lowering.

"_I have a…proposition for you Kakashi."_ She answered, confidence filtering through the phone.

"A proposition? I'm not interested." He walked to the locked patio doors and looked outside at the decking, frowning down at the untouched sheet of snow covering it.

"_Don't be so quick to turn me down." _She spoke, worry seeping into her voice before she caught herself and spoke with more confidence._ "After all you haven't even heard what I have in mind." _

Kakashi thought for a second, opening the patio door and stepping outside, disrupting the perfect white blanket. "Does it involve Sakura?" His voice was calm and collected despite the chilling blast of cold that hit his body.

"_Yes."_

"I'm not interested." He scowled down at the simple grey sweats and dark navy blue long sleeved shirt he was wearing.

Tsunade sighed. _"Kakashi, did you ever think you are trying to fight something bigger than yourself?"_

"No I think at the moment I'm fighting a very determined blonde woman who refuses to give up on the best doctor she ever laid eyes upon." He leaned his weight on the balcony, brushing off some snow, and stared up into the blue sky.

"_Nice response."_ She drawled. _"Seriously Kakashi. Think about it. Call it what you want, fate, The Gods, Karma. They all keep throwing her back at me. Don't you think your fighting a losing war? Don't you think in the end she will end up here, with me? One way or another?"_

"What are you getting at Tsunade?"

_Tsunade's voice turned cloyingly. "All I'm saying is the way I see it, Sakura will end up here. Either as my employee…or patient." _

A tense silence fell between the two.

Kakashi's face hardened as he caught on to what she was hinting at. "Patient? What do you mean?"

"_I mean face it Kakashi. She lost her memory-what twice? That isn't-"_

"I have reason to believe she is slowly gaining back her memory. All of her memory." As soon as the words were out of his mouth he regretted it.

"_Oh? Well that's great. All the more reason she should come back to work for me." _He could almost feel her glee though the phone.

"No. All the more reason she should stay away from you."

"_You can't keep her from me Kakashi. The world is working against you." _She spoke forebodingly.

"Is it now?"

"_The way I see it? Yes. It is."_

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Sasuke ran a hand through his messy hair as he roamed down the dim hallway, looking for something to do. As he neared Sakura's room, he began to hear the sounds of things hitting the floor and someone rummaging. Curiosity getting the better of him, he peaked his head into her room to see the pinkett burrowing away into the depths of her closet all the while throwing miscellaneous items over and shoulder and onto the floor behind her. He watched her for a few seconds with an eyebrow raised in mild confusion before he took a seat on the edge of Sakura's bed and continued to watch as she rummaged through the bottom of her closet, tossing old boxes, books, bags and shoes over her shoulder. "You okay there Sakura?" He asked after a few seconds, his eyes widening slightly as the pile behind her began to grow into a mountain.

"Sasuke?" Her voice was muffled as she spoke into her closet. "That you?"

"Who else did you expect? What the hell are you doing?" He tried to peer over her shoulder into the darkness.

"Looking…looking for something…" She mumbled absently, scooting herself further into the dark.

"Alright…be careful you doing get lost in there." He muttered and rose to get up.

"Found it!" She declared happily and began to kick her way out.

He raised a semi-interested eyebrow and held out a hand to help her up. "Found what?" She grasped his hand, her long fingernails digging lighting into the skin of his palm.

"My old photo album from high school." Sakura tossed her long, messy hair over one shoulder as she fixed the hem of her light pink shorts then held out the photo album to him. Sasuke merely stared at the book. "Oh just take it will you?" She huffed tiredly and plopped herself down beside him on the bed. When he still didn't move to take it, she shoved the offending album into his hands.

Sasuke studied the cover of the album she placed in his hands. It was stripped in pink and black with little plastic bows stuck on. Across the cover in her neat, fluent handwriting was scrawled the simple words; 'High school'. It was tattered with age, and when he flipped open the cover, the spin creaked. Telltale signs that it hadn't been opened in years. The first picture his eyes found was one her Sakura and Naruto; they were seated on his floor, huddled together to stay warm. "I remember this…" He mumbled. Sakura looked over his shoulder, and huffed.

"I don't." She nestled her chin onto his shoulder and ran her manicured pointer picture over the edge of the photo.

An awkward silence began to form before Sasuke broke it.

"I didn't know you had an album of our high school years…" He sent her a sideways glance.

Pink hair fell onto his shoulder as she shrugged. "Neither did I…but Kaka…Otosan, mentioned it last night so I thought I'd go looking for it." She corrected herself uncomfortably.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her but didn't say anything.

"Yeah…"She nodded and tapped the edge of the photo. "Tell me wont you?"

Onyx eyes followed her finger as she began to tap a rhythm on the album. "Tell you what?"

"About the photos?"

"You mean you don't…?" His eyebrows scrunched in confusion; unsure of what exactly it is she was talking about.

A long, tired sigh escaped her plump, pink lips as she shut her eyes. "You know very well that my memory has…left me…Kakashi has been filling me in on things I've…forgotten and little by little I seem to be regaining them. Why just this morning I remembered the time we all took that cruise around the Caribbean Islands."

"You did?" He stared down at her, completely shocked.

"Yes. I did." A proud smile found its way onto her lips.

"Why didn't you say something?"

She shrugged and stared down at the forgotten album in his hands. "I wanted to make sure what I remembered was real and wasn't…wasn't a hallucination or something my mind made up…so you know the whole story right?"

"Yeah…I know the whole story…" He whispered and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "Still doesn't explain why you decided to drag this out…" He nodded at the album.

"…I lost so much of my memory…" She whispered. "Even some of the ones with you guys…I was hoping that…that you'd tell me the stories behind them all…"

A comfortable silence settled between the two of them. "Okay…this one," He tapped the first one. "Was taken at my house right after the stupid idiot decided it would be fun to break my bedroom window in the middle of a snowstorm."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh as he stared at the woman he stood in front of. After a few awkward, silent moments he shifted uncomfortably under the heat of her intense gaze. "You called for me Tsunade?" He drawled tiredly.

This set a frown in the otherwise nonchalant woman's face. "Have I no respect around here?" She muttered under her breath. "Yes I did call you here Shikamaru."

"Might I ask why?"

The busty woman in front of him laced her fingers before placing her chin atop them and staring her employee in the eye. "I presume you are well aware of Sakura and her condition?"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Yes."

"Good.

A tense silence settled between the two of them and Shikamaru took a sweeping glance around the room, silently noting that Shizune was nowhere to be seen.

"Ts-Lady Tsunade." He immediately corrected himself and took a step forward. "Tell me why you have called me here."

It took her a few moments before she replied, and when she did, a mocking smile appeared on her lips. "I thought you might have liked an update on her."

The pineapple haired guard raised an eyebrow at his boss. "Why would you think that?"

"Because…" She shrugged and eyed him. "It seems that she is regaining her memory. That is all."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

Reviewing would be nice.

If you like this story please check out the link in my profile.

Continue?

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	21. Chapter 21

L.

Reviews are always welcome as well as your predictions.

Light after Dark

Chapter 21

A young woman with short black hair and a grim look on her pale face swiftly made her way down to the solitary confinement wing of the hospital. She wore a dark long sleeved sweater paired with a black knee length skirt plus brown boots. Wordlessly, she entered the wing, quickly flashing the guards her identification card she used to enter and making her way down the now familiar hallway to a certain red head's cell, completely ignoring the guard posed at the beginning of the hall tapping an empty box where all dangerous items were to be left.

As usual, the hall was spotless and blindingly white with a single window open for air. She moved swiftly down the hall then stopped in front of the only quarters' occupied. Nervously, she pulled at a lock of her hair before she gathered her wits and turned to face the shining glass dividing her, and the patient.

"Gaara." She spoke, her voice betraying her calm exterior. Her eyes bore into his form that lay prone atop the messy bed, one leg hanging off the side, one arm tossed over his eyes. "Gaara!"

The red head in question sat up in bed and looked over at her, teal eyes clouded in suspicion. "Shizune." He answered back, sliding out of bed, his movements languid. "To what do I owe this honor?" His voice was laced in suspicion.

Shizune drew her eyebrows together as she took a deep breath. "Stop asking about Sakura." She stated calmly.

A mocking, lightly breathe left the red heads lips as he slowly stood up and made his way up to the glass dividing them. "You don't hold back do you?"

Shizune held her ground and met his eyes, arms clasped behind her back. "I mean it Gaara. Stop beating the dead horse."

Gaara cocked an eyebrow at her and leaned back, a tiny smirk dancing on his lips. "No. I don't think I will."

Shizune's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

He placed both hands on the glass beside her head and leaned down to meet her eye level. "Because you people are hiding something about her. I know it. I see it every time Tsunade comes down here."

"What?"

"It's in her eyes, her movements; she's hiding something-something important." He answered flippantly.

Shizune worked her jaw as she sized him up, taking in his even more than normal disheveled appearance. He was in desperate need of a haircut and some sunlight, the skin under his eyes were even darker than normal and his pants were covered in wrinkles; as though he hadn't changed them in weeks. "Regardless…stop inquiring about her."

A flash of realization appeared on Gaara's face before the mask clouded over. "Give me one good reason I should." His voice turned low and menacing.

"Because it doesn't help you in the slightest. Asking about her I mean." Shizune completely ignored his change in attitude in favor of pursuing the subject.

"It doesn't?"

"No."

"Who are you to judge that?"

"What?"

"Who are you to judge whether or not any information about her helps my mental state?" He raised a challenging eyebrow.

Shizune chewed the inside of her cheek, desperately trying to stop the impending train wreck. "She's dead. Sakura's dead."

It slipped out of her mouth before she gave it a second thought.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"And this one," Sasuke pointed to the third photo on the page. "Was taken in spring at a picnic." Emerald orbs stared down at the picture; it was of her, Naruto and Sasuke all seated on the grass scowling and soaking wet. "Someone-the blonde idiot- thought it would be a good idea to bring water balloons and decided to throw them at us. Naturally we rebutted…and this was the result." He frowned down at the album.

"Three wet, cold, grumpy teenagers?" She asked in jest, a smile playing at her pouty lips.

"Yeah."

"What about this one? Who are they?" She asked, placing her long, well manicured finger nail atop another photo on the next page. In it was her, laughing happily and sitting in the lap of a tall blonde haired male with long blonde hair. They were eating ice-cream together and seemed completely comfortable. "Sasuke?" She glanced at the midnight blue haired male beside her who suddenly went ridged.

"That would be Deidara…do you know about him?" He asked softly.

She hummed lightly to herself, staring down into Deidara's face before shrugging. "Sort of…OH!" She gasped and crumpled off the bed and onto the flooring, clutching her head as the room began to spin around her. Her body went hot and cold as memories began to flood into her mind before everything went black.

"_Come on Sakura! Don't you want ice-cream?" A young, tanned male with long blonde hair tied in a pony tail grinned down at the pink haired girl lying on the floor of his living room. "I was thinking we could walk down to the shop and get some before you had to leave." A small frown tugged at the corners of him mouth. "You know you don't have to leave right?" He crouched down and tugged at one of her long pink locks. "There's a bedroom right upstairs with your name on it…" _

_The pinkett below him merely giggled and shrugged before pulling herself up into a sitting position, her forehead nearly colliding with his own. "Thanks…I don't know though…I should go home." _

_Deidara sighed before standing back up and lightly kicked her back with his foot. "No, you should stay here at my house where it's safe and away from that sorry excuse of a father that you have." _

_A ghost of a frown appeared on her face before she shook her head. "Okay okay you've talked me into it." She held out her arms for him to pull her up. "I'll stay. Will that make you happy?" One pink eyebrow rose as he pulled her onto her feet and directly into a tight hug. "Yeah…I'm happy." He pulled back to look down into her face. "So…ice cream?" _

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

_Emerald eyes stared past the watery gaze of her best friend at the scuffed all behind his head as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. They sat on the bed in the middle of Naruto's apartment, facing one another. Naruto's face was contorted in worry and rejection while Sakura's was pink. "Sakuraaa…" He whined and grabbed her hand. "Tell me the truth, no lies." _

"_I did tell you the truth!" She quipped. "Everything's fine!"_

"_Then why are you avoiding me?" His eyes begged her to look at him instead of the scratched off white wall._

_The pinkett sighed and pulled her hand out of his grip to pat his knee. "I have not been avoiding you…I've just been busy." _

"_With what?" _

"_With…things…I have a life you know." She tried to force her face into a put off expression but failed. _

_Naruto ignored the look. "I know! And I know your life as well as I know my own and you have been avoiding me!" He persisted, scratching behind his head in aggravation. _

"_Have not!" _

"_Have too!" _

"_Have not!"_

"_Have to!"_

"_No I haven't Naruto! I've just been busy with things!" Sakura tossed her long pink hair over one shoulder and massaged the side of her neck. _

_Concerned blue eyes tried to meet her gaze. "What things? Just tell me and I'll drop the subject." His head tilted to follow her evading movements._

_Sakura heaved a heavy sigh and shrugged. "Things like…getting…a…apartment!" She nearly shouted in glee when the words left her lips. Sure she wasn't really looking for an apartment, but in the end all she had to say was that she didn't see anything she really liked or could afford. _

_Baby blue eyes opened wide in admiration before he suddenly tackled her in a huge bear huge that whipped the air from her lungs. "Holy shit! Are you serious Saku? Really? You're finally going to move out of that assholes house?" His arms wrapped tighter around her as his voice dropped low into a hushed whisper. "You don't have to go buy or rent a place you know." He nuzzled the top of her head and pulled her into a softer embrace. "You can stay here, with me. Or with Sasuke-I know he'd say yes…maybe even Kaka-Sempai…" _

"_Naru…" Guilt suddenly clutched her gut when she heard the emotion behind his words. _

"_Why didn't you tell me Saku?" He pulled back slightly to look into her eyes. "You know I'd help you, with whatever you choose…" _

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

_Sakura pursed her lips in concentration as she ran a comb though the ends of her tangled hair and shifted into a more comfortable position at the edge of the bed._

"_Sakura…what are you doing?" A silky voice called to her from the doorway. Emerald eyes glanced up at the man staring at her with a mildly quizzical look before turning her attention back to untangling her hair. "Hey Itachi…don't mind me. Just trying to…get these tangles out." She made a face at the ends of her hair before she attacked the tangles with the comb again. _

"_Mhmm…" He answered, moving to sit at the head of the bed. "Right well when you're quite done with that let me know. I'll get started on dinner." He shifted so that he was now lying on his back. "I do presume you are staying for dinner?"_

"_If you'll let me." She answered offhandedly, her focus now on brushing out her entire head since she removed all of the tangles. _

_Itachi frowned at her back. "Of course I'd have you…you know you are always welcome here." _

_Sakura nodded her head, tossing some of her hair over her shoulder as she attempted to make a part down the middle using only her finger nails._

"_Sakura." _

"_Hm?" She combed her fingers through the half of her hair she pulled to the front, smoothing out any tangles. _

"_Sakura." He tried again, nudging her back with his foot._

"_Yes?" She began dividing the section in three. _

_Dark eyes narrowed in annoyance as he watched the pinkett in front of him continue to toy with her hair, neatening the three sections before beginning to slowly cross them upon one another. Itachi sighed and sat up, his arm immediately reaching forward to grab her shoulder. "Sakura stop playing with your hair and look at me." He spoke, his voice low and strained. _

_Emerald eyes looked at him over her shoulder before she finally turned her body to face him. "What's wrong?" Her voice was soft as she took in his features; his eyes were heavy with emotion and his face had paled even further. _

_Itachi scowled slightly before nodding, satisfied that he had gained her attention. "You realize that you are not a bother correct?" _

_Frown lines etched themselves into the pinkett's face before she nodded slowly. _

"_You understand that you are always welcome here-whether I'm here or not?"_

_Again, she nodded slowly._

"_And you know that I want you to take me up on it right?" _

_That, she didn't nod at. "What?" Emerald eyes crinkled in confusion. _

"_I mean, I hate it when you always ask for permission…this is your home. Treat it as such." He closed his eyes in frustration. "Stop asking if it's alright you stay for dinner…stop…stop asking to spend the night-if you feel like just sleeping here do it. If you-I don't know want tacos just say so. Leave clothing here-more than one nights-and just…" He heaved a heavy sigh. "Just stop acting like a guest…it bothers me. Walk in here at three am for all I care…" He muttered and stood up. "I'm going to start making dinner. Is spaghetti alright?" _

"_No."_

_He stopped and turned around to see Sakura tilting her head at him. "I feel like tacos actually." She smiled gently at him, understanding shinning in her eyes. _

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shizune paced back and forth in the break room, her brain repeating the words she uttered at Gaara before she ran away. "Shit shit shit shit!" She muttered to herself, slowly working herself up into a panic. "Shit!"

Beside her, the door clicked open to reveal a pineapple haired guard with a scowl on his face. As soon as he saw the stressed out woman, he sighed, closed his eyes, took a bracing breath then crossed the threshold; shutting the door behind him. "Hello Shizune." He drawled, walking over to the couch. "How has your day been going?" He asked out of courtesy, though he expected her to unload all of her problems onto him.

The black haired woman stopped her pacing to stare down at the guard sitting on the sofa, his eyes were closed and he pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off a headache. "Shikamaru." Shizune chewed her lower lip as she fruitlessly tried to calm herself down. "Listen Shikamaru…Lady Tsunade is going to call Kakashi and attempt to-"

"I know, she's already done it."

Shizune's eyes opened wide. "Already? My oh…oh no…"

Shikamaru racked a hand though his hair as he stared down at the small coffee table. "Yeah…what is her obsession with Sakura anyway? It's not natural…"

Short black hair swayed as she nodded. "I know…and well…I don't know…Maybe she thinks of her as a daughter?" She fetched.

The pineapple haired guard snorted.

"Alright so maybe not…"

He shrugged. "She's awfully attached to Gaara and Sakura…more so than anyone else." His eyes slid down to her to emphasize his point.

"Yes well-"

"Miss Shizune!" Hinata's worried voice sounded through the door. "Miss Shizune where are you?"

Tired, worried eyes darted to the break room door before landing back on Shikamaru. "Best go find her and tell her you're alright." He muttered dismissively, already unfastening the required uniform belt.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young guard with pineapple like hair sat slumped in the break room sofa massaging his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. His feet sat propped up on the small coffee table in front of him where his disguarded belt lay containing his tasor, gun, and sparse medical supplies. "Why does God hate me?" He muttered to himself and proceeded to rub his eyes raw.

Just then the door opened and a heavy body plopped itself down beside him. "You okay man?" He glanced to his side to see Kiba looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

"No, hell no I'm not." Shikamaru groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tsunade's gone fucking insane."

Beside him Kiba merely 'hrmf'ed in sign for him to go on.

"She's shoving herself down Kakashi's throat to make him bring Sakura back." Shikamaru sighed, leaning his head back against the sofa. "And she's dragging me down the goddamn rabbit hole with her." He muttered.

Kiba took a seat beside his friend for a second, before standing up again. "The hells a rabbit hole have to do with anything?" He asked as he went about making a cup of coffee. "Want some coffee?"

Shikamaru cracked one eye open. "Yeah…and it's…it's a-oh never mind it's from Alice in Wonderland."

"Never heard of it."

"Of course."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

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Please excuse this short chapter, I am in pain and my concentration is not at its best but I did want to write this for you guys.

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	22. Chapter 22

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 22

A woman with short blue hair pulled into a low pony tail frowned as she stared out of the living room window at the snow piling up. In one hand she held a mug of steaming coffee; the other held open the curtain. She wore a tight fitted black sweater and baggy gray sweats with dark brown bedroom boots. With a tired groan she released the curtain and walked into the kitchen. There she came face to face with a silver haired male sitting at the kitchen table. "Hello Hidan." She greeted, pulling out the chair opposite him and plopping herself down, scowling as she scalding liquid in her cup splashed up and burnt the top of her hand.

"Hey Konan." He muttered, resting his chin in one hand. "What's up?"

She shrugged and adverted her gaze to the kitchen window, a bright idea popping into her mind. "Not much…you know it's snowing outside right?"

One silver eyebrow rose at her question. "Yes I do. Where the hell do you expect it to fucking snow? In the basement?"

Konan shrugged off his snide comment and sipped her coffee. "Well since your sitting here bored out of your wits why don't you go and shovel the walk and driveway?"

Hidan glared daggers at her and stood up, scrapping his chair against the wooden floor boards. "Why the hell would I do shit like that? Have Deidara do it. He's a fucking mule anyway."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sasuke stared wide eyed at the passed out pink haired female lying on the floor; one hand was on her stomach while the other rested awkwardly up near her jaw. Every few seconds she'd thrash her head and her face would contort in pain; she was sweating profusely, the neck of the long white sleeved shirt she was wearing already damp. He made a nervous sound in the back of his throat before he kneeled down, scooped her up in his arms then laid her out on the bed; the album lying on the ground entirely forgotten.

"Sakura." He tried and leaned over her writhing form. "Sakura!" His voice became more urgent as he began to shake her, his fingers digging into her shoulder as he became more desperate as more time elapsed. "SAKURA!" He watched as she began to thrash more violently, lashing out at his arms restraining her to the bed.

"Gawwnroo…" She grunted half awake.

The onyx eyed male friend saw his chance and took it; he leaned further over her body, practically sitting atop her and shook her shoulders. "SAKURA WAKE UP! IT'S A FUCKING NIGHTMARE! WAKE UP!" He bellowed, near panicked tears.

With a start she jumped awake, panting; emerald eyes sought out onyx orbs as she began to relax back onto the bed, recognizing her best friend. "S…Sasuke?" She asked, swallowing a mouthful of air while he eased himself into a seated position beside her.

"Yeah?" He whispered, one hand sliding down to grip her wrist in a reassuring manor.

"Wh-what happened?" She asked breathlessly as she whipped the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand.

Sasuke regarded the pinkett for a moment. "Do you…what do you remember?"

Sakura thought for a moment, gathering her thoughts. 'I…I remember!' Emerald orbs opened wide as memories danced though her mind, playing out long forgotten scenes of her childhood. "I…I remember…everything…" She whispered softly as her awed gaze met his baffled one. "Itachi and Deidara…you, Otosan and Naru Naru…I remember you all! And-and Konan, Tobi, Kisame and Hidan!" She prattled on excitedly, her cheeks dusting pink.

"Who?" Sasuke sat back, giving her room to sit up in the bed.

Before she could answer, a knock sounded though the room. Both heads swiveled to the door to see Kakashi standing there, a confused smile resting on his lips. "May I come in?" He asked casually, his encased arm resting on the door frame.

"Otosan!" Sakura cried happily and jumped off the bed and dashed into his arms. "I remember!" She squealed eagerly. "I remember everything-you, Sasuke, Naru Naru! All the vacations we took-all the holidays! I remember Deidara, Itachi, Tobi even Hidan! Oh oh and Konan-the time we went to the mall and she bought me a new wardrobe!"

Kakashi gingerly wrapped his good arm around her shoulders. "You-you do? All of them?" Dark eyes darted up to the midnight blue haired male still sitting on the bed looking at Sakura in bewilderment. Sasuke shrugged slowly, his mind still processing all that she just spilled to him.

"What do you mean?" She drew back out of the warmth of his arms to look up into his eyes, noting that the once blue and purple skin that surrounded his left eye had healed perfectly, leaving only light, barely visible splotches.

He cleared his throat. "I mean did you really regain all of your memories?" He gently prodded her mind.

Her face scrunched in thought before she shrugged. "I don't know-isn't it enough that I remember stuff though? Like you guys and the people in the album?" She tilted her head to the side, some strands of hair falling into her face.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Kakashi's mouth as he reached up and tucked the stray strands behind her ear. "Your right. It is enough."

"So what was that phone call all about?" Sasuke interrupted, drawing both pairs of eyes to him. A dark look crossed Kakashi's features before he caught himself and shrugged. "Nothing that would concern you Sasuke."

The onyx eyed male raised one eyebrow. "Really? That lady seemed official enough to catch my concern Sempai."

Kakashi grimaced. "It was regarding my insurance alright." He lied coolly.

Sakura drew back a bit, out of the corner of her eye she noticed the edge of the album tucked under the edge of her bed. 'Please don't notice the album…PLEASE don't notice it…' A light sweat broke out along her hairline as she repeated the mantra in her head, hoping for a distraction so she could remove the offending book from idle eyes.

A loud noise jingled through the house, piercing the quiet that had settled between the three. "Who could that be?" Sakura murmured, tilting her head to the side.

"I'll go get it." Kakashi excused himself.

Emerald orbs watched as the silver haired man turned around and left to answer the door, with a hidden smile she turned to face Sasuke who now lay sprawled out on her bed, his eyes shut in contentment. "Hey Sasuke?" She asked sweetly, moving to sit beside him.

"Hm?" He acknowledged.

Absently, she toyed with the edge of his shirt, plucking at a strand. "Will you continue?" She asked slyly.

Sasuke drew his eyebrows together in perplexity. "Continue?"

"Telling me about the photos."

A sigh escaped his lips as he cracked one eye open to look at her. "Really Sakura?" One hand reached up to feel her forehead. "Do you really think that's a smart idea? You just had a bunch of memories flood into your brain."

"Please?" She pouted.

"No." He closed his eyes again to block out her sulking face.

"Pleassee?" This time she begged and tugged on his arm like a child.

"No Sakura." He ignored the wrenching of his arm.

"Please Sasuke? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?" She leaned over him, invading his personal space which forced him to open his eyes. "I really want to see if I remember all of the pictures before Otosan sees the album. Won't you help me?" She gave him the puppy dog look. After a few seconds he heaved a defeated sigh and nodded. "Fine Sakura. But first go drink a glass of water and change your shirt." He sat up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And eat something."

"Alright but why? I feel fine." She scotched off the bed and walked to her white dresser and opened the third door.

"You just passed out. I don't care how good you feel; drink something and have a snack."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A relieved feeling washed over Kakashi when he opened the door; standing there, balancing two crates, a briefcase, and a laptop was Naruto. It was obvious he had come straight from the school and brought his work with him. "Hi Naruto-here let me give you a hand." Kakashi reached atop the pile and grabbed the laptop tittering on the top.

"Hey Kaka-Sempai." The baby blue eyed male greeted and stepped inside, shaking off the fine layer of snow that had collected on him from his journey from his car to the front door. "You won't believe the roads out there." He sighed as he dropped the two crates and brief case in the living room then stripped off his winter coat. "I got so many bad drives Sempai! It's amazing I made it here in one piece." He ran a hand though his hair before opening the hall closet and hanging up his coat. "I was originally going to go home, drop off all this work, shower, go to the grocery and then come here but…" He trailed off and followed Kakashi through the living room and into the kitchen.

"Its fine Naruto-besides Sakura and Sasuke are here." He placed the laptop on the counter then proceeded to make coffee.

"He is?" Naruto furred his eyebrows and glanced around. "Where are they?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young patient with messy red hair sat on his chair staring out through the tempered glass out at the plain wall opposite him. His teal eyes were dead, entirely devoid of any emotion; his shoulders were slumped forward with his elbows resting on his knees, and his long, pale, scarred fingers were woven together. Every once in a while he would bow his neck in respect then resume staring back out the glass. "Sakura…" He whispered, his lips barely moving. "Are you truly dead? Would she say it if it were not true?" This time his head snapped upward and his eyes bore into the white ceiling, almost begging it to reveal the truth to him.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto raised a single eyebrow as he walked into Sakura's room and spotted her and Sasuke lying next to one another; Sakura had her head on Sasuke's shoulder while he held the album up above them and was whispering to her. "Am I interrupting something here?" He asked casually while he leaned his shoulder against the door frame, observing how comfortable the two seemed around each other; something that hadn't occurred in many a year. His blue eyes skimmed over their frames; noting how Sakura's pink hair fanned out around the pillow, how her long, elegant fingers curled into Sasuke's dark blue shirt, how his head tilted just the slightest so his cheek rested against the top of her head.

"Naru Naru." Sakura smiled, and wiggled a bit to the side so that she could see him. "You're here!" She beckoned him over, arms wide waiting for a hug.

The spiky blonde grinned easily and strode into the room and immediately enveloped his pink haired best friend in a warm embrace. "Of course I am; schools been out for over an hour you silly goose." He murmured against her hair. Sakura nuzzled into his stomach, inhaling his unique scent of cologne, play dough, and sweat.

"Oh stop with the unnecessary display of affection you two." A deep, slightly aggravated voice grumbled from behind Sakura.

Baby blue eyes looked down behind Sakura, his hand moving up to smooth out some of her hair blocking his view of the scowling midnight blue haired male halfway sitting up on the bed. "Hey Mr. I'm Cooler Than Everyone Else. Did I ruin a special bonding moment between you two?" He jeered lightly.

"Hi Guy That Spends My Time Teaching Snot Nosed Little Brats, no you did not ruin a special bonding moment between Sakura and I; an even if you did do you really think I'd tell you?" He scoffed then fully sat up and swung hit feet onto the ground. "I'm going to make some coffee."

"Oh make me a cup wont you?" Sakura asked as Naruto picked her up and she wound both of her legs around his waist and clasped her hands behind his neck. "Naru Naru you wont believe it-I remembered things! Like memories of you and Sasuke and Otosan!" She spilled excitedly, not even giving him a chance to adjust to her weight.

Blonde eyebrows drew together as he adjusted the pinkett in his arms and walked out into the hallway, carrying her with ease. "Otosan?"

Pink hair flew into a mess as she eagerly nodded her head. "Yup. I remember so much, all of the vacations we took together and even…" She trailed off, her happy demeanor diminishing as they entered the living room and she unwound her legs to stand on her own.

"And even what?" Naruto prodded, reaching up to try and untangle her now messy hair.

Emerald eyes stared into nowhere, her mind whirling as she contemplated telling her best friend that she remembered being a part of the Akatsuki Organization and all that came with it.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young woman with long, lavender hair tilted her head to the side in bewilderment as she observed the nerve wracked woman beside her attempting to make a sandwich. They were both dressed in nursing scrubs; having opted to change and help out with the hospital being short staffed today on account of the weather. "Uhm…" She trailed off uncomfortably, her pale eyes following the woman's jerky movements around the small staff kitchen.

Shizune was in a world all her own as she opened a jar of jelly and began to pile it atop one slice of bread. 'What have I done? What have I done? I told him that she was dead! What if he asks Lady Tsunade? Then I'd be fired! I'd lose my job! My reputation would be ruined!'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

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	23. Chapter 23

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 23

Heavy snow began to fall once again, covering the earth in yet another blanket of pure white snow. At times, a gust of wind would come barreling down and leave nips of frost bite that stood in its way. Outside in the blistering cold, a young man with silver hair stood scowling. "Best not keep frowning Hidan…your face might freeze that way." A woman with short blue hair taunted lightly.

Hidan muttered several choiced words before a shovel landed neatly in his arms after it bounced off his head. "Fucking hell!" He cursed up Konan lording over him. She stood at the top of the front porch; she had changed into a snuggly, over sized gray wrap around sweater and black tights. "Watch your mouth Hidan." She warned, glaring down at the shivering, silver haired male. "Get to shoveling. Start with the porch stairs." With that said, she turned and walked inside, leaving Hidan to work.

"Fucking woman! Forcing me to shovel the fucking snow-what the hell is Deidara here for anyway?" He grumbled to himself before tossing the shovel into the snow then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves then slipped them on. "Why the hell do I have to do it?" His words become jumbled as a blast of cold wind hit him in the face. "Goddamnit!" He cursed, picked up the shovel, and began to clear the stairs.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Baby blue eyes stared forlornly at Sakura lying asleep on her bed; her head was tilted to the side, her nose buried into the pillow she clutched close to her body, her face was relaxed with strands of her tangled hair falling into her eyes, he had pulled the quilt up to her shoulders and taken off the light leaving the blinds slightly open to let in the evening sunlight. Naruto shook his head for a moment then turned around and shut the door behind him. He strode down the hallway, clicked off the hall light then leaned into the living room where Sasuke and Kakashi sat, watching television. "Saku's sleeping you guys." He announced then walked into the kitchen.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Bright, blinding lights shone through the windows and out onto the snow outside Kyoto's Insane Asylum. Crystal droplets clung to the bare tree branches that dotted the inner garden and reflect the late afternoon sunlight. Inside, in one of the main halls stood two male guards getting ready to leave for the night; suddenly, a patient burst into the stark white hall between the two guards and threw up on the floor, collapsing on the cool ground beside his vomit. The two guards exchanged a look before taking a step away from the unconscious patient.

"I need to get home, Ino's waiting for me." The guard with pineapple shaped hair stated simply, moving closer to the exit with his winter jacket draped over one arm, the other his car keys.

The other guard with upside down red triangle tattoos on his face groaned loudly before turning around and kicking the wall. "Fine Shikamaru you ass! I'll clean up the fucking mess!" He strode quickly to the end of the hallway then beckoned to someone to come. After a few seconds a male nurse appeared pushing a large yellow bucket and a heavy duty mop. "You nurse." He directed at him, taking the mop handle. "Take that patient back to his room." With that said he pushed the bucket up to the vomit and began to clean up.

"Alright Kiba I'm going home now." Shikamaru yelled down the stark white hallway to his friend cleaning up the vomit who waved back in acknowledgement. "Alright see ya tomorrow lazy ass." The pineapple headed guard put on his winters coat then thought for a second. "Do you need a ride?"

Kiba paused in his scrubbing to look back up at his friend. "Nah, drove my car down here remember?"

"Yeah but-"

"Would you two kindly shut your traps?" A young nurse with long lavender hair pulled into a clip at the nape of her neck snipped as she entered the hallway. "Some patients are trying to sleep." She sighed and massaged her forehead with her forefinger and thumb.

Kiba tugged one side of his mouth down in a half frown and shrugged. "Sorry Hinata." He regarded her for a moment. "Is something wrong?" The young woman sighed again and massaged the back of her neck. "Its Miss Shizune…she's acting odd."

Shikamaru raised a single eyebrow. "She is?" He strode towards the two standing in the middle of the brightly lit hallway, his face screwing up in disgust as the scent of medicated vomit entered his nostrils. "Aw Kiba please clean that up. Quickly. What do you mean she's acting odd Hinata?"

The woman in question shrugged and shifted uncomfortably, her pale eyes looking anyway but the guard in front of her. "She's more agitated than normal. She's always on edge-as though someone is out to get her or something. It's worrying…"

Shikamaru nodded, thinking over the information before running a hand over his tired eyes and backing away to the exit. "Alright, I'm leaving now. See you two tomorrow." He gave them a wave over one shoulder before opening the door and stepping out into the cold evening.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"So how much of her memories do you guys think she's regained?" Naruto asked conversationally. The three of them sat gathered around the kitchen table; Naruto sat facing Sasuke while Kakashi took the head of the table. In front of each of them sat a hot cup of strong tea and a nice, fat slice of apple pie.

"I don't know-enough? And why the hell did you cut us pie? Apple pie of all things?" Sasuke asked incuriously, a mild frown on his face.

"Because I'm hungry." The blonde haired male retorted smartly. "Moving off of the pie subject-Sakura?"

The onyx eyed male sighed and pulled his cup of tea closer to him. "I don't think she remembers the hospital or anything to do with it." He sipped the hot beverage. "I know that's what you're wondering Naruto. Though to say she won't ever remember it is beyond me. Lately she just seems to be figuring out ways to force herself to remember-who knows when that memory will surface."

Kakashi eyed Sasuke for a second before taking a sip of the tea then placing the teacup back down. "You seem to be very…acute to her sense of being Sasuke." He stated ominously.

Dark eyes slid to the older male. "Meaning?"

"That you-"

"Let's not do this now you guys." Naruto cut them off. "What Sasuke said is right. The way this is going there's no telling what she'll remember. I mean there's a damn good chance that she'll remember everything!" He sighed tiredly then cut into his slice of apple pie, watching as the apple chucks tumbled out of the crust followed by the sweet and spicy sauce baked into it. "So does she remember them?" He asked darkly, enunciating 'them'.

"Yup." Sasuke picked up his teacup and gently blew into it, cooling the hot liquid.

"Really?" The baby blue eyed male stared up at his best friend across from him, the fork inches away from his mouth. Slowly, pieces of the apple pie tumbled off the fork and back onto the saucer.

"Yeah-she remembers them all. To the extent of how well I can't say."

Naruto frowned as he yet again picked up another fork full of pie. "We need to know how much she knows…and why she wants to remember." He took a bite of the pie and thought for a second while he chewed. "Actually-"

"Don't talk with your mouth full idiot." Sasuke scowled at him, much like a chastising parent.

"Shut up."

"Well don't talk with your fucking mouth full. Do you think I want to see the food in your mouth?"

Naruto rolled his eyes but swallowed before he spoke again. "As I was saying," He looked pointedly at his friend across from him. "We need to know what it is she plans to do now."

"Now?" Kakashi repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean since she got rejected at Kyoto-which is a good thing-but what does she plan on doing now? We don't know do we?"

A comfortable silence settled around the table as snow fell outside, covering any imperfects the human eye might find.

Baby blue eyes stared down at his half eaten slice of apple pie. "I think I'll take Sakura out tomorrow. Just the two of us."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young guard with pineapple shaped hair walked though up the wooden stairs to his small, quaint home then slumped down at the top, resting his back against one of the beams. Tiredly, he unbuckled the belt around his waist and laid the required weaponry beside him. He sat there in the quite, with the white snow falling on the grounds in front of him for a few minutes before the door behind him slid open. "I thought I heard your car." A young woman's familiar voice cut though the silence.

"Hey Ino." He mumbled a greeting whist rubbing his aching neck.

"Are you going to come inside? It's freezing out."

With a groan he stood up then turned around to see Ino standing there. Her long, blonde hair was down in a curtain, she wore no makeup on her face, around her body she clutched a silk purple robe and on her feet rested light purple fuzzy bedroom slippers. "Come inside Shikamaru." She sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. "I'll make a pot of coffee."

Shikamaru nodded and followed her inside, pausing to unlace his boots and step out of them. "So how was your day?" Ino's voice traveled from the kitchen to meet him in the living room. With a grunt, he slipped out of his winter coat and tossed it over the back of a chair then flopped onto the couch. "Had better. What about you?"

"Oh mine wasn't that bad." She walked back into the room and took the chair beside the couch. "I had brunch with some of my coworkers. For some reason the layout of the magazine keeps changing and no one's none-the-wiser." She tucked her legs beneath her and laced her fingers with Shikamaru's lip hand. "Coffee should be done in a few minutes." At that, Shikamaru tugged his hand, pulling Ino over the arm rests of both the chair and couch. "Thanks." He mumbled before gently kissing her.

With a light blush Ino sat back, a small smile dancing on her lips. "So…" She played with his fingers. "Tell me what happened today that put you in a foul mood."

Shikamaru sighed at her question and sunk lower into the couch. "It's Tsunade again."

Ino nodded knowingly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind one ear.

"And Shizune."

Light blue eyes lit up in surprise. "Shizune?"

"Yeah." His dark eyes slide close. "I use to think it was only Tsunade that was fucked-I mean messed up in the head but turns out Shizune is right there with her."

"What are you talking about?"

The comforting scent of freshly perked coffee wafted into the living room. "I think the coffee's ready." He drawled.

Ino huffed but got up none the less to fetch him a steamy, hot cup of coffee. She returned with two mugs, one for him and one for herself then seated herself beside her boyfriend this time. "Alright so what's all this business with Shizune and Tsunade? As far as I can remember they were rather nice-well Shizune was. Tsunade always seemed a bit…extreme."

Shikamaru gratefully drank his coffee, relishing the warm, soothing feeling as it slid down his throat and warmed his insides. Now a bit more relaxed, he wrapped his available arm around Ino's shoulder and drew her closer to his body. "I don't know Ino-you know I can't go into the specifics right now-my contract plainly states that I can't-but what I can say is; Tsunade's making a real mess of things and I rather not be there when it all explodes."

At this, Ino leaned back to stare into his melancholy face. "Okay…So what are you going to do? It's your job Shikamaru." One manicured finger traced the lip of the mug balancing on her leg.

"Yes well, I'm thinking about quitting. I can find work elsewhere." He answered simply, running a reassuring hand over her silk clad shoulder.

"Where exactly?" She pressed. "Kyoto is the only one within reasonable distance from home." Light blue eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "You're not thinking of moving…are you Shikamaru?" Her tone turned worried. "Because don't you dare think that I will just up and follow you-I've made a damn good life here and I refuse to just get up and leave because of you! I have the best job designing the new season's fashions and I'm up for a goddamn promotion! I could be making even more money! I'm not your wife! I'm not obligated to follow you were ever the hell you think you want to go!" She finished hotly, her eyes fuming and her long fingers flexing in silent rage. Carefully, Shikamaru extracted her mug of coffee, having already set his mug on the coffee table in front of them, and place her own alongside his.

After a few calming seconds of silence, Shikamaru spoke. "Would you like to be?"

"…Would I like to be what?" Ino shot back, still annoyed at her boyfriend.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to sigh as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders again. "Would you like to be my wife Ino?"

This time Ino didn't snuggle into his chest but inside peered into his eyes. "Is that your way of proposing?" Her voice was completely bewildered.

"If you say yes then yes. It is."

At this, Ino jumped up completely enraged, her face contorted. "No! You will not propose to me like-like that! Just on a whim?" She began pacing in front of Shikamaru, stepping on his still frozen toes a few times. "No! You will sit and think about a special, romantic, lavish way of asking for my hand in marriage!" One long manicured nail found its way digging into the flesh of his nose. "And then I will consider it." She turned on her heel, long blonde hair fanning out around her. "Oh and don't forget to ask my father." She sniffed haughtily over her shoulder before walking down the hall and into their bedroom.

Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh then sunk down into the couch, his head pounding with the recent events. '…I was only asking to see if she would consider it because she presumed I was thinking of moving…I wasn't asking for real. Troublesome woman.'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

Please leave a review with your thoughts.

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Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	24. Chapter 24

L.

Hello, many apologies for the slow story, but I have unfortunately lost interest in it. I will continue to post chapters and move the plot along for I do know how I am going to end it and what events will happen though, sad to say, it sort of bores me to write it.

However, I must pay many thanks to _Dragon MistressLove _ for this person has given me inspiration to continue writing and finish the story; because there are people who wish to find out what happens and are enjoying the story and wish to read the ending.

Fear not for I will maintain a standard in writing and will not falter just to end it.

Ergo, I do hope you all enjoy this chapter and will bear with the slow plot development and continue to leave reviews.

Light after Dark 

Chapter 24 

The next morning, Sasuke walked into Sakura's darkened bedroom; she was still fast asleep in bed with one leg hanging off the edge of the bed and her head turned towards the side, away from the sun. He snorted lightly at her position before waltzing in and opening up the blinds, shedding some morning light into the room. "Sakura wake up. Naruto the idiot wants to take you out for the day-something about spending more time with you…bonding or something-I don't know. Just wake up will you?" He stood over her slumbering form and shook her shoulder, earning an irritated groan but nothing more. "Come on Sakura." He spoke a little louder then reached down to her hips to wrench the blanket off of her warm body. That produced another groan, some illegible mutterings, and finally, the cracking open of her sleep ridden eyes. "Time to wake up Sakura." He stated again, pulling the blankets out of her reach. "The idiot Naruto wants to take you out for the day so time to wake up."

Sakura heaved a heavy sigh but rolled onto her back regardless and began to wake up her body. First, she stretched each and every one of her limbs then proceeded to rub her eyes till they were sore. She then whimpered slightly at the cold air persistently nipping at her skin then finally rolled out of bed and into the hallway where she blindly made her way to the bathroom.

"Such a morning person." Sasuke mumbled to himself before he shook his head and began to half-way make up the pinkett's bed for her. He haphazardly folded her blanket then tossed it onto the bottom on the bed without straightening the sheets, and then he picked up the fallen pillows and chucked them to the top of the bed near the headboard, not caring about how they landed. When he finished picking up all of the bedding that had found their way onto the flooring during the night, he began to open up the bedroom by turning on the lights, opening all of the blinds and lastly, opening her closet door.

'Is she going to shower straight away?' Sasuke chewed his inner cheek as he stood in front of her closet, staring at all of its contents bursting out of the rack and shelves. 'Should I attempt to pick something out for her?' He cautiously moved one hand into the closet to pull out the edge of a black Slipknot hoodie. His face paled at the print and he immediately dropped the offending clothing and shook his head. 'Nevermind. She can pick out her own clothing. I'm not her fucking mother…or father.'

After a few seconds of aimlessly wandering around her room, he entered the hallway just in time to here the squeak of the shower being turned on followed by the rush of water falling into the bathtub. "Sasuke?" Sakura's muffled voice called for him though the closed bathroom door.

The onyx eyed male paused for a minute, debating whether or not he should actually answer her back or pretend to be elsewhere. "Yea Sakura?"

"Can you do me a favor? Fetch me my clothing?"

"…Uhh…sure…I guess…" He answered uncomfortably, having never been asked to do this before. 'Usually that blonde idiot is here with her…is she always this…this dependent?'

"Thanks!" She chirped back, obviously happy about it. "Okay so if you go into my dresser, the left side, third draw down you'll see a light pink cami with lace. Get that. Uh…in my closet hanging on the left side you'll find my pants-skinny jeans-get the black ones okay?"

"Alright…what else?"

"Underwear. In my-"

"Really Sakura?" Sasuke's face turned beet red and he immediately looked down the hallway to see if Kakashi had overheard their conversation.

"Well…yes Sasuke. How do you expect me to get dressed without my undergarments?" He heard the sound of what he presumed to be the shampoo bottle being opened. "Where is Naru Naru anyway? He usually does this…he usually picks out my clothing too…" She added as an afterthought.

Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh, his face still a bit red with embarrassment. He cleared his throat and scratched behind his ear, completely uncomfortable with the thought of rummaging through her clothes now. "He's on his way. Went home early this morning to take a shower and drop off his work…he said he'd be back about midmorning to take you out …so what else do you need?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shikamaru woke to the traveling sounds of a woman cursing, a cold bed, and the smell of burnt coffee stifling the air. Needless to say, he was not a charming chipper monkey that morning. With a grunt he swung the blankets off his warm body, cursing the winter season as his feet collided with the cold floorboards then stumbled his way into the bathroom, glaring at the bright lights that pierced his sleep encrusted eyes. "Shikamaru you ass are you up yet?" His girlfriend yelled, kicking open the bedroom door then clicking her way to the bathroom where he stood over the toilet relieving himself.

"No Ino." He mumbled, his voice scratchy and horse from sleep.

"Don't be an ass." She sneered at him then stepped into the bathroom once he pulled up his bedroom pants and flushed the toilet. "Have you seen my planner?" Her high heels echoed loudly on the flooring as she made her way over to the double sink and proceeded to apply lipstick. "I need to know exactly what time I'm supposed to be at the office-are you even listening to me?"

The tired, cold, hungry guard sighed as he washed his hands then cupped the water to splash onto his face. "Ino I just woke up." He stated simply then grabbed his toothbrush, spread the paste and began brushing his teeth. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ino huff, pout her freshly painted lips, think for a second, then turn around and walk out of the bathroom. "No shit you just woke up!" Her annoyed voice echoed back to him. Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes and spit out the toothpaste. 'I would still be asleep in bed if it weren't for your inconsiderate behavior…'

"What time are you going in today? Do you have time to drop me off?" She pestered as soon as he reentered the bedroom, rubbing his growling stomach beneath the white long-sleeved he wore.

Shikamaru shrugged and looked at his girlfriend sitting in front of her pale lavender vanity brushing her long blonde hair. Today she wore white loose sailor slacks paired with a white dress shirt, open at the collar and white pearl beads he bought for her last Valentine's Day. On her feet she wore three inch heeled navy blue pumps. "It's Saturday. You know I go in for nine am on Saturdays."

Light blue eyes narrowed at him though the mirror. "Don't take that tone with me-I'm still annoyed with you for last night."

'No shit Sherlock…I had no fucking idea.' He sighed and rubbed his eyes then attempted to leave the bedroom with hopes of making a cup of coffee.

"So? Can you?"

"Can I what?" He asked, inches from the hallway.

"Keep up Shikamaru! Can you drop me to work? Or do I have to call a cab?"

Shikamaru repressed the urge to roll his eyes, instead he opted to turn to face his irritate girlfriend and ask politely. "What time is it?"

With a twitch of her lips, Ino looked down at her wrist then answered him. "Right now it's Seven-ten."

"Alright, I can take you to work this morning. Would you like me to pick you up after work as well?" That honest question earned him a perfume bottle to the head.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A freshly bathed, fully clothed Sakura glanced at Sasuke sitting on the edge of her bed flipping through her old album, pausing every few pages to stare at some of the pictures. "So I guess you knew these people pretty well." He muttered more to himself but still directing it towards the pinkett who now sat at her white and pink vanity table, applying moisturizer to her freshly cleaned face. She locked eyes with him though the mirror and shrugged at his reflection. "Yeah…I did…from what I can remember anyways." She then patted her cheeks then reached for her liquid foundation to begin applying it.

Sasuke looked back down at the album resting on his lap, currently it was open to a large photo taking up the entire page. In it was the entire Akatsuki clan, including that same man from the hospital that strangely resembled him. His brows furred as he flipped the next page and saw the same man sitting with Sakura on someone's back porch. "Hey Sakura…who is this guy? Do you remember him?" He held up the album with his finger pointing to said man and she stared at the picture though the mirror, pausing her application of make-up.

The pinkett snorted offhandedly then resumed lining her eyes. "Of course I know who he is-he was there when I made some of my biggest blunders Sasuke. I would hope to remember the man that stopped me from running into the stupid DMV." She rolled her eyes in a sad attempt to mask her embarrassment. "Needless to say I needed more practice…" Her voice fell low at the last sentence as she began to put on mascara.

The onyx eyed male waited patiently for a few more seconds before sighing heavily. "Are you going to tell me who he is?" One eyebrow rose as he placed the album back in his lap and propped one elbow atop it.

Sakura stood up, a hairbrush in hand and walked over to her slightly annoyed friend. "That's Itachi Uchiha." She answered simply, moving past his frozen form to her dresser where she began to bush out the ends of her long hair, working her way up to her skull.

"Uchiha?" He repeated dumbly, eyes locked on her form.

Emerald eyes glanced back at her friend though the mirror above the dresser. "Yeah. Uchiha. Itachi Uchiha-he's your older brother. Didn't you know?" Her eyebrows drew together in confusion as she thought for a moment before realization dawned on her. "Oh! Oh no!" She gasped and turned around to face him, pure distress written on her face. "I wasn't supposed to say anything!" All color drained from her face as the moment wore on.

"What do you mean you weren't supposed to say anything?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he slowly stood up and made his way over to her terrified form. "Sakura?" He loomed over her small frame, pushing her further into the dresser. "Who told you not to tell me I had an older brother?" At this question, his arms shot out and grabbed her bare shoulders, digging their nails into the flesh. "Tell me Sakura. Speak!" Though his voice was low, his tone was anything but gentle.

Emerald eyes began to well with tears as her best friend began to shake her frozen body, his large frame drawing closer and nearer to the point that he was completely towering over her, forcing her lower back into the dresser. "Sasuke…" She whispered her voice breaking. "I'm so sorry-so so sorry…" Her fingers worked their way into his shirt, grasping at it in a small attempt to gain some leverage. "Really I am! I…I…"

"You what?" Onyx eyes turned darker. "You didn't think that I should know? Who the fuck told you not to tell me? Tell me!" He pushed his face down into hers, so that his nose was pressed against her face, successfully sending her into a terrified mess as his body forcefully melded into her own, completely dominating her.

Sakura could do nothing but quiver at her best friend's strength as he bore down on her, his dull nails digging themselves further into her skin, almost to the point of drawing blood. "Sa…Sasuke please…" She tried to turn her head away but he only followed, forcing her to look at him. "I only just remembered!" She blurted out, gasping as his grip tightened, a few of his nails breaking skin.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A young red headed patient glared at the spotless white wall opposite him from his perch on his messy, white bed. He sat motionlessly, not moving one muscle even as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Gaara?" A woman called from the opposite side of the tempered glass.

With slow, measured movements, the red head turned to face the woman holding a tray filled with food. Her name was Anko a brash female guard with short purple hair she kept in a pony tail. "Alright I have your breakfast." She stated, eyes locked on him. "I am going to open the tray door now. Do not move." She wasn't going to take any chances. Slowly, she pulled a single key out of a pouch attached to her belt and inserted it in a barley visible key hole in the glass separating them. As soon as she unlocked it, she placed the tray though the window where it sat on a small flat plane jutting into the room then relocked the 'window'. "You can now get your breakfast."

Gaara licked his lips but made no effort to move. Instead he continued to stare at the woman, his emotionless green eyes boring into her soul. "Tell me something Anko." His voice was low and disturbing.

The female guard raised one eyebrow at the mental patient but nodded her head.

"What can you tell me of Sakura?"

Anko's face contorted into genuine confusion. "Sakura? You mean the doctor that left?" She shifted, feeling uncomfortable under his stare. "I don't know. Last I heard she moved back to wherever the hell it was she came from. Anyways eat your breakfast. I'll be back for the tray in an hour." With that said she turned sharply and left him to his own devises.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto smiled happily, contented with the events he had planned for his day alone with his pink haired best friend. With ease he cruised into the snow covered driveway, pushing the piles of snow away with the tires. After shutting off the music and removing the key from the engine he opened the door, ignored the cold blast of wind and then stepped out of his bright orange Lamborghini Gallardo then paused for a moment, keys still in hand. 'Would Sakura preferred to take her Hummer instead?' He chewed on the thought for a few more seconds before shrugging and jogging up to the front door, slipping a few times on the snow covered walk. 'Jeeze Sasuke that lazy ass couldn't come out and shovel?' He frowned down at the decking while he knocked on the door, taking note of the small patches of ice beginning to form.

After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Kakashi standing there in black college sweats and a simple A-Shirt. "Morning again Sempai." The spiky blonde grinned cheekily and stepped in, then shrugged off his black jacket and bent down to unzip and step out of his black Danner Striker shoes.

"Hi Naruto." The silver haired man greeted without much interest and closed the door. "Sakura is still in her room with Sasuke."

One blonde eyebrow rose in astonishment while he fixed his simple black button down shirt and blue jeans. "She is? They are?" Disbelief was clearly written on his face as he moved into the living room and glanced down at the hall where he knew the two resided. "Well…that's good. By the way tell Sasuke to go out and shovel soon. Ice is starting to form on the decking and I can only imagine how bad the driveway will freeze." He stuck one hand in his pant pocket to check for his wallet.

Kakashi nodded and moved into the kitchen, walking with a little more ease than before. "Alright. Thanks. Would you like something to drink before you go? Tea? Coffee? I know it's cold out there."

"Nah."Naruto leaned against the wall dividing the kitchen and living room. "I'm fine. But seriously Sempai-have him shovel the walkway at least. You know you have a doctor's appointment soon-on Monday I think-and I won't be here to take you and I'm willing to bet that lazy jerk won't take you just because it's icy out."

The silver haired male snorted lightly, fully aware of Sasuke's stubbornness. "Why don't you go see what's keeping Sakura? I know you're excited to spend the day with her."

Naruto nodded and quickly strode down the hall, eager to get the day started. With a grin glued to his face he knocked on Sakura's pushed in door, frowning when he heard shuffling, what he guessed to be gurgling, and then absolute silence. Hot pangs of worry flashed though him before he knocked again out of privacy and a voice telling him he might walk in on something he shouldn't see. "Sakura?"

After a second, and muffled groan a voice answered. "What is it Naruto?" Sasuke's strained voice answered.

"Sasuke?" A look of pure perplexity mixed with worry melded onto his face.

"Yes, what do you want?"

"Sakura. Obviously." The blonde haired males snorted then kicked open the door. "Look I'm not interested in taking to you or the door…" He trailed off as soon as his eyes landed on the two of them. There stood Sasuke looming over a obviously petrified Sakura. He had one hand over her mouth, the other pushed against her stomach, holding her in place against the dresser. Sakura had tears and snot running down her face and her usually bright emerald eyes were purely terrified.

Without a second thought Naruto ran into the room, punched Sasuke in the face and grabbed Sakura in his arms, pulling her into his warm, secure chest. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto spat down at the now bleeding onyx eyed male.

Sasuke snarled from his position on the ground and slowly brought one hand up to touch his bleeding, crooked nose. "You fucking broke my nose!"

Naruto sneered down at him. "Fuck off." Was all he said before he gently guided Sakura out of the room and into hall way. "Oh Saku…" He whispered, rubbing one hand in soothing circles on her back. "What happened in there?" Before Sakura could even take a breath, they heard the heavy sounds of Sasuke standing up and moving towards the door.

"If you want to keep your balls another hour you'll stay in that goddamn room." Naruto threatened calmly and pulled Sakura closer to his chest. "Let's get you out of here." He then whispered to Sakura. The pinkett only nodded and let out a sob.

The two of them moved into the living room where he placed her on the middle of the couch before fetching the Kleenex box and placing it in her lap. "Okay Saku. I know he won't come out of that room till you and I leave." He kneeled down in front of her and plucked a few tissues from the box then began to dab at her tear stained cheeks. "Do you want to talk about it right now?"

Pink hair flew around her as she shook her head viciously.

Naruto nodded understandingly chewing his lower lip. "How do you feel?"

"Naruto what was-Sakura!" Kakashi rushed into the living room and sat beside his daughter. "What happened?" He immediately used his good hand to rub her back in an attempt to stop her bawling and pulled her close his chest.

At this, Naruto sat back on the flooring tossing the used tissues beside him and sighed. "You have Sasuke to thank for this mess Sempai." He spat, shaking his head. "This is-I don't know what else to say…he's…he has…" He sighed again, completely exasperated. "I'm going to take Sakura out now."

"Good idea." The silver haired male agreed, watching as he stood up then walked to the hall closet to grab Sakura's coat, selecting the long, pink one and her matching pink winter furry boots. "Naruto…do you think you can have Sakura stay at your place tonight?" He asked, murmuring soothing nonsensical words to Sakura who was starting to calm down. Her face was pink and her mascara and eyeliner had run, leaving black streaks on her cheeks. Her nose was red and bruised and there were marks from Sasuke's fingers around her mouth.

The spiky haired male nodded as he pulled the now calm but miserable pinkett to her feet and helped her into the coat and boots. "I would but if he's-I'll take her somewhere else." He reached down to pick up his own jacket and tossed it over his shoulder then slipped on his shoes. "Come on Saku. Let's go." With that said, he pulled the solemn girl out the front door, ignoring the cold air biting his exposed skin.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kakashi eyed the young man pacing in front of him, wearing a hole into his flooring "You my friend," Kakashi began, leaning back in the chair. "Have some anger problems." He adjusted the waistband of his sweatpants.

Onyx eyes narrowed at the silver haired man reclining on the couch, his legs kicked up on the footrest, coffee cup in one hand and his injured arm resting on his flat stomach. . He wore simple baggy black college sweatpants and a white A-shirt. "She lied to me." He spat the words as though they were acid and held a cold compress to his not broken, but defiantly bruised nose.

Dark eyes rolled as he sipped his coffee. "She lost her memory. And you physically assaulted her. Again. You don't learn your lesson do you?"

"She still lied-what about before she lost her memory? Could have mentioned it-'Hey by the way Sasuke you have an older brother named Itachi Uchiha. Pass the sugar will you?'" He mocked, face screwing up in disgust.

"Pass the sugar?"

The chicken ass haired male deadpanned. "That's the part you focus on?"

The silver haired male shrugged unperturbedly. "Well you assaulted my daughter-twice." He stated matter-of-factly.

Sasuke sneered. "Yeah you adopted a girl that has substantial brain problems Sempai."

That struck a chord in the overprotective father. His dark eyes narrowed and he sat up a bit straighter in the chair. "Watch what you're saying Sasuke. Just because you're pissed off doesn't give you the right to go ape-shit crazy."

"Who does that?" Sasuke whipped around to stare down at his Sempai, his hands fisting in his already messy hair.

"Who does what?"

"What type of person does that?"

Kakashi chose not to give him an answer and instead opted to try and enjoy his crackers and cheese. He reached beside him on the side table to rest his coffee cup and made himself a tiny sandwich that consisted of two crackers and a slice of cheese in the middle.

"I mean she just dropped the bomb-then ran off to go have tea!" The distraught young man continued.

"She ran off because you assaulted her-I'm willing to bet that she now has bruises on her back curtsy of you." Kakashi while he shoved the 'sandwich' into his mouth.

Sasuke merely grunted and continued to pace. "Sasuke, have you ever thought about taking some anger management classes?"Kakashi asked after he finished swallowing his mouthful.

"Haha very funny Sempai. What time is she getting back?"

"With any luck not soon."

"What do you mean by that?"

"That I told Naruto to take her somewhere that you won't find her." Kakashi stated ominously, reaching beside him for another cracker. "Now why don't you start from the beginning and end with your logical reason for assaulting my daughter?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

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	25. Chapter 25

L.

Light after Dark 

Chapter 25

A young woman with long lavender hair pulled into a low pony tail wearing light blue nursing scrubs whimpered to herself as she swiped her card in the slot and opened the elevator doors then stepped inside, twiddling with her fingers all the while. Slowly, as though teasing her, the elevator cruised down to the lower solitary confinement floor. Eerily, as if the elevator itself was warning her not to go any further, the doors opened gradually, revealing the locked bars. With shaky fingers, she gripped the bars and opened them then moved to the last door barring her from her goal. Quickly, wanting to get the task over with she swiped her card and darted into the hallway. In front of her stood the guards desk, but currently no one was there. 'Where is the guard on watch?' Nervously, she peered down the hall, thinking he may have gone to make his rounds. Giving up hope of him coming back she began her journey to the red headed patient's room.

A few seconds later she found herself on the opposite side of the tempered, two-way glass for the very first time. "H-Hello." She stuttered a greeting to the uninterested patient.

In the room, the patient turned from his desk to look at her, a bored look on his face. "You're Hinata aren't you? I recognize that fragile, terrified look about you." He smirked, partly interested at the petrified look on her face. "Didn't you use to work with Sakura?" His body relaxed into the chair and he crossed his legs and laced his fingers and waited patiently for her answer.

Jerkily, she nodded her head and took a giant step away from the glass. 'Why is he so pleasant? Everyone told me he would be…to be care…he's crazy!'

"Don't be scared." He purred soothingly, allowing a sneaky smile to dance its way onto his pale, sickly face. "I was only wondering if you two kept in touch."

Hinata shook her head, too frightened to use her voice.

Obvious disappointment appeared on his face. "No? Are you lying to me?"

Again she shook her head 'no'.

Gaara sneered. "Fine. Useless woman." He muttered. "You're here for the tray aren't you?"

Hinata nodded her head.

Teal eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Too fucking bad. Come back when you learn to use your fucking voice." And with that said, he turned his back to a newly terrified Hinata.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Sakura told me Itachi Uchiha is my older brother." Sasuke stated brusquely, sitting down on the couch and hanging his head between his shoulders, sulking with all do right.

Kakashi nodded, the gears in his brain whirling as he stretched his memory to remember anything he could about the man in question. 'Itachi…Itachi Uchiha…is he really Sasuke's brother? I never thought about it…it is probable…why didn't I look into this before?'

"At least that's what she said." The midnight blue haired sullen young man continued on, his body deflating the more he spoke. "But the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Aside from the last name we look alike…" He trailed off, loosing himself in his own thoughts.

After a few beats he stood up sharply, starting Kakashi who still sat on the couch munching on his dish of crackers and cheese and sipping his coffee. "Sasuke?" The silver haired male called, watching as Sasuke flew around, grabbing his jacket, keys and shoes. "I…I'm leaving….got some thinking to do." He mumbled over his shoulder before he slipped out the door.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A bright orange Lamborghini Gallardo pulled smoothly into the sparse parking lot of a usually busy restaurant. They had cleaned the lot, piles of brown and white snow sat piled up on the sides but a fresh layer had just fallen, covering the lot yet again. Slowly, almost reluctantly he pulled the key from the ignition. The drive over which had taken approximately fifteen minutes, was filled with periods of awkward silence, Sakura sniffling, and Naruto opening his mouth to talk, then quickly shutting it. "Okay…were here." He mumbled, not sure how to handle the situation. Gradually, he gathered his things; house keys, wallet, and car keys, then opened the driver's door, whimpering slightly when the cold winters wind hit him in the face. He then made his way over to the passenger side, listening to the crunching on snow under his feet and opened the door for a reluctant Sakura to step out.

Together they marched to the front door, Naruto reaching back to aim the automatic lock at his car and clicked the button. Then he stepped up and opened the door for her to enter, both pausing to knock their shoes against the mat before walking up to the second set of doors which were propped open at the top.

"Hi! Welcome to China House! Seating for two?" A young, peppy woman welcomed them with a huge, friendly smile on her face.

Naruto stepped forward and nodded. "Yeah. In a corner would be nice." He smiled charmingly at the young woman, causing her to blush. "Of course." She looked down at the seating plan resting on the counter then nodded. "Okay if you two will please follow me."

"Okay." The baby blue eyed male turned back to look at a shy, blushing, blotchy Sakura and held out a hand for her to take. The two of them followed the woman though the many isles and near empty booths to a secluded corner near a window. "Here you go." She turned and smiled at them and laid out two menus neither had noticed she picked up. "A waitress will be with you shortly." With that said, she smiled, bowed, and then left.

Sakura bit her lower lip as she slipped out of her winter coat and laid it over the back of her chair before sitting. Opposite her, she watched her best friend do the same. Awkward silence fell upon the two until the waitress came up. She was a tall woman with brown hair pulled into a high pony tail wearing a crisp, long sleeved white shirt, black slacks, and a black apron tied around her waist. "Hello! I will be your waitress. Can I start you two off with some drinks?"

Baby blue eyes scanned the drink menu she had presented with interest. 'I'm going to need some alcohol to get though this…' After a few seconds he looked back up at her and smiled. "I'll take a bottle of Kirin beer. What about you Sakura?"

The pinkett continued to gnaw at her lower lip before shrugging.

"If you like I can recommend a few things." The waitress smiled warmly at her before continuing on. "Today we have a special running on martinis. They are half price. We also have Passion Fruit Mojitos which, if I might say are absolutely delicious. The bar also stocks just about every available alcohol if you are interested in the harder stuff; we also take recommendations if you have a particular drink you like."

Emerald eyes blinked up at the woman owlishly, before nodding and sighing. "Uhm…I'll have a Basil Martini thanks."

The waitress smiled and nodded. "Alright I'll be back with the drinks shortly. How about some appetizers?"

Naruto thought for a minute before nodding. "Yeah we'll take a platter of buffalo wings."

"Okay." The waitress nodded and pulled a writing pad out of the black apron along with a pen and scribbled it down. "Will that be all for the appetizers?"

"Yeah thanks." The baby blue eyed male smiled and leaned forward on his elbows. "We'll order later."

"Alright I'll be back in a bit." Then she turned and left to go to the bar and place their orders.

An awkward silence settled around the two with Sakura twirling a strand of her pink hair around one finger while staring at her reflection in the window, periodically reaching up to her face to dab at her smeared mascara or pat at her puffy, dappled face. Naruto just sat there playing with the salt shaker, pouring bits out into the palm of his hand then poking it with his finger.

A few minutes passed this way before the waitress returned with the drinks and appetizer and placed them on the table. "Will there be anything else?" She asked, placing two dishes in front of them and stepping back. "No, this will be all for now." Naruto answered, reaching for one of the celery sticks decorated around the buffalo wings. "Okay. Just let me know when you're ready for the main course." And then she left, moving across the room to tend to another couple.

The spiky blonde nibbled on his celery as he slowly filled his plate of buffalo wings, more celery and blue cheese. "So…" The spiky blonde nodded awkwardly. "Would you like to tell me what happened back there?" He asked nicely, taking a bite out of his stick of celery.

Pink hair whirled as she shook her head, opting to remain silent.

"Really? Not going to say a word?"

Head shake 'no'.

Naruto chewed his bite of celery as he studied the silent pink haired woman in front of him. She had yet to take any of the wings or drink her beverage; instead she sat there, staring at her empty plate with her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"Sakura…you really need to start talking…why the hell was Sasuke battering you?" He pressed, dropping the nice guy act he had been putting up. On the inside, he still fuming about the entire situation and he still didn't know what exactly transpired.

She shook her head.

He picked up his large glass filled to the brim with fresh beer and took a sip. "Really Sakura. This is serious. I just walked into the room and he had you up against the fucking dresser, one hand stifling your mouth. You were crying a goddamn river and he was so damn livid, he didn't even see me punch him. What the hell happened?" He demanded as he laced his fingers in front of him and leaned forward.

After a few silent seconds, she relented. Her shoulders sagged and her eyes locked on her empty plate again. "I told him Itachi Uchiha was his brother." She whispered.

"Why would you do that?" He asked, one side of his mouth tugging down into a frown. "You know you can't joke with him."

"It wasn't a joke."

"You mean to tell me has a brother?" He repeated, unsure of what he was saying.

Pink hair swayed as she nodded. "Yeah…that guy that was in the hospital. A patient-the one with the black hair and lines on his face…"

Naruto frowned, troubled with what she was saying and took a swig oh his beer, downing about one fourth of it. "Why didn't you tell him then? Don't you think he had a right to know that he was sitting with his brother?" The gears began to turn in his head the more he thought about it. "And why doesn't Sasuke know he has a brother? Sakura what the hell do you know that we don't?"

The pinkett closed her eyes and ran a hand though her hair. "A lot…I mean…when I got my memory back all these things just…flooded my brain and…"

"Sakura. I love you. You know I love you-but you really need to start talking and stop playing this game. It's not fun and you're putting us all in a hard place." He stated and sighed.

"Okay…okay I'll tell you everything."

"You better." Was all he muttered, sipping his beer. 'I think I'm going to need something stronger…'

Before she began her story she loaded up her plate with buffalo wings and celery and blue cheese; the hunger beginning to set in as well as a need for a distraction. "Itachi is Sasuke's older brother. He left home a few weeks after Sasuke was born-it was when he became an official member of the Akatsuki organization." She sighed and ran her right hand though her hair and kept it there, tucked behind her ear whist she picked up a piece of celery and took a tiny bite then swallowed. "He made his parents remove all of his pictures and anything that could possibly point to him ever living there…it was to protect them. They were supposed to hide everything…but they didn't. Well his mother didn't-she kept a baby picture of him in her closet…one day, after a huge blow up in one of there…missions…the police captured him-Itachi-and raided his parents house and found the picture…at that time Sasuke was about five years old." She breathed in though her nose and blew out of her mouth then took a sip of her martini. "Anyways long story short Itachi ended up raiding the house for the picture his mother didn't lock away in the bank vault…which is why there are no picture of him in the house."

Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow over his mug of beer. "His parents never talked about him?"

Sakura shook her head and down casted her eyes. "No…he made sure to stress they never talk about him to Sasuke." She nibbled on her lower lip for a few seconds and pushed the celery though a glob of cheese. "He said he made his decision. He wanted to live his life that way and Sasuke shouldn't be influenced by it. Itachi knew what he was doing was wrong-it was against the law and he never wanted to get Sasuke mixed up in it…or his family for that matter."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding and motioned for the waitress to come over to their table. "Okay…I get that. But now Sasuke's parents are long gone and he's an adult. He deserves to know all that you're telling me."

"I know I know."

"No. I really don't think you do."

"Yes I-"

"You think you know but you don't really do you Sakura?" Emerald eyes stared up at him in offence and bewilderment. "Naru I-"

"Look…if I knew that you had just dropped a bomb like that…well I never would have token you out." He shook his head and sighed. Just then the waitress came up smiling. "Yes Sir?" Naruto looked up at her and smiled tiredly. "Yes Miss I'd like…a shot of Scotch, straight up and another beer thanks." The waitress nodded, took his empty cup then turned to Sakura who now had her head buried in her hands. "Uh…Miss…?"

"She's fine for now." Naruto jumped in, frowning at the pinkett.

The waitress nodded uneasily then left.

"Sakura." The baby blue eyed male looked at his best friend, wanting to reach a hand out to her and comfort her but restrained himself. "Sasuke had all right to react that way-as wrong as it was-I can understand."

That got her attention. "What?"

He shook his head, getting a bit tired of his friend's denseness. "You just told a guy that was an only child for years, that he has an older brother. Not to mention the fact that he has been curious as hell about Itachi since he saw him at the hospital. And here you were the entire time with the whole fucking story yet you said nothing."

The pinkett hung her head in shame.

"To be honest I have half a mind to take you back to Kaka-Sempai and let the chips fall where they may." He mumbled, picking up a buffalo wing and taking a bite out of it.

Emerald eyes stared wide at him in shock and worry. "What?" She whispered softly, barely audible.

Naruto swallowed his bite before speaking. "Sakura…I'm sick and tired of all these lies…it isn't the first time…and I'm beginning to worry it won't be the last." He stated bluntly, his face showing all of his emotions; sorrow, pain, regret. Just then the waitress returned with his drinks and discreetly placed them on the table, highly aware of the tense situation going on.

"Naru-"

"No let me talk." He closed his eyes and downed the shot, grunting as it burned the back of his throat. "First it was all the secrets in high school with you looking for an apartment when in fact; you were hanging with the Akatsuki." He held up his pointer finger to show one. "Then it was what Sasuke did to you." He held up a second finger. "Now this business with Itachi? And why do you know if it was such a well kept secret?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Two fully grown women were in a fully furnished office inside the mental hospital, the older one; a blonde woman with a large chest and a furious look on her face sat behind a desk. The other was a younger woman with short black hair and delicate features stood in front of her. The two were still dressed in their outer wear, having rushed in moments before. "Shizune." Tsunade began riffling through her desk searching for a bottle of Sake. "I haven't been down to see Gaara in a while-have you been?"

The black haired woman shifted uncomfortable, her long black coat catching on the edge of a chair nearby. "Uhm…yes…yes I have…he seems fine-better actually." She lied through her teeth, watching when Tsunade shut one drawer in frustration.

"Oh? Somehow I doubt that…" She muttered. "But anyways has Sakura contacted you yet? I imagine that she would…given the nice relationship you two had and whatnot." She mumbled, lifting up a stack of papers and pulling a cup out.

Shizune massaged her forehead and nibbled on her bottom lip, wondering whether or not she should say anything. Finally she made her decision. "Tsunade really. This idea is beyond bad. Sakura is…no longer a viable option."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I…spoke with some people who are close to her and…to be frank she is no longer the woman in your mind. Give up on her and hire someone else. If you look at the local universities you can hire someone-or even if you don't want to hire them take them on as interns. A whole group of them. Form a sort of partnership programs with the university."

"Shizune stop talking in riddles. How can she possibly change? Have you even met her?" Golden eyes narrowed into slits. "You know Shizune I'm beginning to think you're jealous of Sakura…you want her job. That's it isn't it?" She sat back in her chair and laced her fingers. "Sorry to break it to you Shizune but you are my secretary. That's it. You aren't qualified-not like her you aren't."

In that moment, Shizune realized something she had been overlooking for years. She stumbled back, seeing her boss for the first time for the person she really is. A manipulative, greedy, self centered, obsessed old woman who has lost her touch; she was once the best psychologist around, held in a stature far above all. But now she was just a hollow shell of her former self, chasing after an image she could no longer hold. She neglected all of the patients, forcing Shizune to do most of the work, she forced the guards to work double and triple over time, most of the workers were required to perform tasks not stipulated in their contracts and the hospital was losing more and more patients; no one wanted to admit anyone here anymore.

"You…you know what Tsunade?"

"It's LADY Tsunade." The golden eyed, controlling woman sneered.

"Right…I'm taking the remainder of the day off."

"No you aren't."

"Yes. I am."

"No Shizune. You aren't. I need you to fill out the quarterly papers before the end of this week."

"That's your job."

"What was that? You know what-find me Hinata." Then she turned her back on the one person who stuck by her side for years, dismissing her as though she meant nothing.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

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	26. Chapter 26

L.

Light after Dark 

Chapter 26

A guard with pineapple shaped hair heaved a heavy, stressed sigh as he strolled down the near empty white halls. Beside him walked his friend who every few seconds, tossed his identification card into the air, caught it, and tossed it up again. They walked in comfortable silence, patrolling the halls for any unruly patient and locked them back into their rooms if need be. Today was an uneventful day thus far; hardly any patients were allowed out of their rooms anymore and those that were usually spent their time in the front room, starring outside at a world that no longer wanted them.

"So Shikamaru, wanna tell me what Ino did now?" The young guard with upside down red triangle tattoos on his cheeks asked glibly, flipping his card back into the air once again and catching it.

Beside him Shikamaru snorted and shoved his hands into his pant pockets, grunting when one of the weapons dug into his skin. "She's demanding that I set up some whole, lavish way of proposing to her." He stated, relenting to the fact that Kiba could read him better than anyone else.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at him and caught his card in between his pointer and middle finger before giving him his full attention. "What…wait did you propose?" He turned to face his friend, complete and total astonishment written on his face. "When? Last night? Holy shit man why didn't you tell me?" All interest in his identification card was lost at this point and it just remained in his hand, dangling between his fingers.

"It was a hypothetical question she presumed for real." He drawled, continuing to stroll down the eerily clean hallway, pausing for a few beats for Kiba to come back down to earth and resume the pace.

"Rhetorical?" Kiba frowned and turned right onto another hallway alongside his fellow guardsman, and tucked his card away in his breast pocket for safe keeping. "So you didn't actually propose…do you want to? Is that why you asked?" He pestered.

The indifferent guard shrugged and avoided Kiba's probing eyes. "I suppose…I don't mind the thought of marrying her…I mean we've been together for years, successfully been living together for over two of them…marriage seems like the next natural step."

"You're not thinking about it because you think you have to right?" Kiba placed a caring hand on his friends shoulder. "Because don't if you think you have to. I mean, I've known the two of you for years and I do support your relationship…no matter how bitchy Ino is to me…but for some weird reason the two of you work." He chuckled lowly. "Guess all I'm saying is…I support you." He nodded. "But don't rush things."

Shikamaru turned to his friend shook his head, and then clasped him on the back. "Thanks Kiba." He grinned tiredly. "I think I am ready to marry Ino." He allowed a small, proud smile to find its way onto his face. "I'm ready for the commitment…now all I have to do is think of some lavish, tremendous, most likely expensive way of proposing to her."

Kiba snorted a laugh at his friend's problem then snapped his fingers. "I got it! She likes diner right?"

"I think we all like diner Kiba."

"You're not getting where I'm coming from."

"She won't like a diner proposal. Especially one where I place the ring in anything that she can eat. She'll find it…tasteless."

"How about hot air balloon?"

"Its winter."

"What if you spell it out in roses?"

"Unless there's a way to have one hundred ponies come riding in carrying the ring-"

"Got it. Not big enough."

"Don't worry about it man-besides I have to ask for her father's hand in marriage first."

Kiba raised an eyebrow at him in bewilderment before clearing his throat and looking down at the flooring as they walked. After a few seconds he voice the question he'd been going over in his head. "Isn't her dad…you know…dead?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru sighed and looked out at the snowy landscape beside them. "Both her parents are…but she still cares about them you know. She goes to their graves and talks to them, updating them on her life and whatnot." He explained simply.

Kiba nodded in understanding, and thought for a few minutes, going over what Shikamaru said in his mind. "Hey…why not propose at her parent's grave?" His voice was low, full of sympathy and understanding for the bride-to-be.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The midnight blue haired male gunned down the highway, cutting off innocent mothers on their way to the grocery store, flipping off business men rushing to get to their meeting across town on time and once almost running over a poor lost dog who happened to be on the wrong pavement at the wrong time. Recklessly he pulled into his parking lot, the brakes screeching in resentment before finally doing their job and stopped the car before he skidded into the small garden. Hastily, he jumped out of his dark blue Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG not bothering to lock it and ran up to his front door. After having a fit with the locks, he darted inside to his study, ransacked his bookshelves until he found all of the albums his parents left him. Haphazardly he gathered the pile up into his arms then made his way into the living room and tossed them carelessly on the coffee table before taking a seat and began to rummage through the first one his hand landed on them. He flipped open the book and scanned each page, searching for any sign of his older brother. But he found none. Not one photo contained the man in question. He found photos of long lost relatives, extended families, people he never met, even some with Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi as children. But none with Itachi.

"Fucking hell!" He growled, stood up and marched to his kitchen to locate some comfort liquor. 'Why couldn't it be in that one? But it must be true! He has to be in one of those albums!' With a bottle of Johnny Walker Black as his comfort buddy he made his way back over to the mess of memories and began to go through the second album, cursing when nothing came of it. "Please be here…please be here…" Became his desperate chant as he went though album after album, pleading with anyone he could think of to show him only one picture of his brother. 'I know he's my brother! I just KNOW it…GODDAMNIT!' Enraged with the lack of progress, he chucked the album he was searching though over his shoulder and watched not entirely satisfied as it ricocheted off the wall and landed somewhere in the hallway.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Daintily, Sakura sipped at her Martini, emerald eyes periodically darting up to the waiting stressed, blonde haired man sitting opposite her munching on a buffalo chicken wing. After a few seconds, she tensely picked up one of her celery sticks and took a bite before answering his question. "I found a picture with Sasuke as a baby in one of his drawers." She admitted diffidently. "He…after a lot of pestering…told me the truth on the ah…on the understanding that I never tell anyone…"

One blonde eyebrow rose. "You went sifting through the man's drawers?"

"I was looking for socks!" Her face flushed pink in embarrassment. "Anyways yeah…he told me the story and ever since, I never breathed a word of it to anyone…till now anyways…"

Naruto nodded and leaned back in his chair, his mind whirling with the information. 'Suppose it isn't all on her shoulders on account of Itachi…but she still should have told Sasuke-she grew up with him, she knows the type of man he is…she should have used her own judgment and told the jerk himself when she still had her head on her shoulders instead of blurting it out…' He picked up his beer and sipped at it, his eyes locked on a spot above the pinkett's head. 'But knowing the type of person Sasuke is it would be stupid and unproductive to take her back to Sempai's now…best finish this up, drop her off somewhere and see if the hot-head is still there and have a chat with him.' Decidedly, he placed his now half full mug down and locked eyes with Sakura in front of him.

"Yeah?" She half whispered, popping the remainder of the celery stick into her mouth.

"After this I'm taking you somewhere and you'll spend the night there. Even though I want you to talk to Sasuke, going back there now will only piss him off further instead of solving anything. But make no mistake Sakura. You will talk to him. You will tell him the truth-the entire truth- and you will not be upset with him." He picked up another celery stick and took a bite out of it and leaned heavily on one elbow. "Sakura…really what the hell were you thinking?" He asked, deflating a bit, the events of the day already weighing down on him.

The pinkett tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "I mean…why didn't you tell him sooner?"

"Because Itachi told me not to." She answered simply before taking a bite out of a wing, almost indifferent to the entire situation.

Naruto furred his eyebrows and stared at his best friend, observing her. 'So because he told her not to, she didn't? What else is she hiding? What else don't we know?' He took in the slender set of her pale face and her limp, bodiless pink hair. 'Something's going on…something's changing in her…is it because of this memory thing? Could that have affected her more than we thought?' He sat back again and nursed the remainder of his beer. 'Could Sasuke have been right when he was hinting that we have her checked out?'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A acutely angry man with silver hair stood glaring at the snow falling from the sky; looking much like a pouting child told he can't have anymore cake until after dinner.

"You do know that in order to move the snow, you must first move right?" An all too cheerful voice cut though the silence that had settled around the man. "Would you like me to tell you how it works?" The silver haired male turned his head to glare at the blonde man ginning at him from under the comfort of the large porch. "First, you take the shovel in your hands."

"Shut your fucking mouth Deidara." He warned, glaring at the blonde.

"Tut tut Hidan. What will Konan say?" Deidara shrugged his shoulder dramatically before leaning on the banister. "Where was I?" He scrunched his face in mock thought before smirking. "Ah yes! Then, you place the shove-the handle in your hands-on the ground."

"Deidara I'm warning you, you gloating fucker." Hidan sneered at the blonde menace mocking him.

Deidara chuckled. "Why Hidan, I'm only trying to help." He sighed and slowly walked to the stairs of the porch. "Then, you bend your knees." Hidan flipped him off. "Give a quick little push-"

"Shut your goddamn mouth!" Hidan bellowed, completely pissed off at the blonde man. "You were supposed to do this shit! Not me! So take whatever the hell it is you want to say and shove it up your fucking ass!"

Instead of getting irate and tacking the silver haired, potty mouthed man; which did cross his mind, Deidara instead laughed. A full body shaking laugh. This, after a few seconds, earned him a punch to the jaw. "Fucking hell!" He spat, stumbling back, slipping on a patch of ice then falling down the front stairs to finally land on the concrete. "What the fuck Hidan?" The blonde demanded from his prone position on the cold, snowy ground.

Hidan snorted and kicked him in the shoulder, then moved to finish his job of clearing the walk and driveway. "You crazy asshole!" Was all he heard before he was tackled into a snow pile. "I fucking-" Deidara didn't finish his sentence as he proceeded to beat the life out of the older man, punching him in the face, back and stomach before Hidan got his footings and pushed him off his numb body and into another one and continue his assault on the blonde man.

"What the hell?" The man, successfully pinned under Deidara's shocked one spat angrily. "Get the hell off of me!"

Slowly, the fight dwindled to an end and Hidan stopped punching Deidara and the blonde picked himself up and looked down at the mail carrier. He was a middle aged man, usually happy, and kind; but not today. He was fuming; one of his arms was bent at an awkward and clearly uncomfortable angle and a bit of blood was oozing steadily from the side of his head.

"Oh shit…" The blonde man whispered and slowly backed away from him and right into Hidan. "Shit Hidan! Look what you did!" He yelped and stumbled back. "I'm telling Konan and then you'll be in trouble!" With that said, he dashed past the confused silver man and into the house.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After the unsettling lunch, Naruto drove Sakura across town to another house where he pulled into the long, winding driveway and parked in front. Quickly, he unblocked his seat belt, pulled the keys from the engine and strode around to the passenger side to help Sakura out. Together they walked up to the front door and stood there for a second, admiring the intricate design etched into the wood before Naruto rang the doorbell. He then took a step back to grasp his best friend's hand. "You worried?" He whispered in her ear as she clutched his one hand with the both of her. "Yeah." She murmured, burying her nose in her scarf to fight off the cold air. The baby blue eyed male sent her a half grin and squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her. "Don't worry, I'm here."

Just then the front door swung open to reveal a blonde haired woman dressed in a grey suit, surprise clearly written on her face.

"Hey, how's it going?" Naruto asked, a worried grin plastered on his face.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shizune scowled as she marched down the clean, white hall, wishing she could take her rage out on something, anything. Lost in her own thoughts of cursing Tsunade, she didn't notice when someone turned the corner and started walking towards her. "Miss Shizune?" The meek voice asked.

She was ignored.

"Miss Shizune?" The young woman in scrubs asked again, stopping a few steps in front of Shizune. Blindly, she walked into the young woman and let out a low curse. "Miss Shizune!"

"Oh Hinata." Shizune steadied the younger woman with one hand. "Tsunade's looking for you." She mumbled tiredly and moved to walk past the lavender haired girl.

Pale eyes stared curiously up at the stressed woman before her, taking in the lines forming around her eyes, the set of her mouth and her defeated, sullen look. "Miss Shizune, are you okay?"

The older woman heaved a heavy sigh and tucked a piece of her hair behind one ear, giving up on walking. "No Hinata. I am not."

"Would you like to talk?"

"No Hinata. I wouldn't." She shook her head tiredly. "Have you seen Shikamaru?"

Hinata tried to catch the woman's eyes but failed. "No…I haven't…I think he's patrolling the hallways with Kiba."

Shizune nodded. "Alright thanks. If you see him tell him to give me a call. We need to talk."

"You're taking off for the rest of the day?" Pale eyes widened in surprise, Shizune was never one to flake out on her work, it was something she took extremely seriously. One might even say it was her entire life.

"Yes Hinata. You take my place as Tsunade's assistant for the rest of the day okay?"

Pure fear appeared in the young woman's eyes as soon as the words connected with her brain. 'Assistant? To Lady Tsunade? PLEASE NO!'

Shizune clasped Hinata's shoulder then gave her a weary and a very unconvincing smile. "You'll do great. It's fine. I know you can do it." She encouraged pathetically, and then left.

After a few seconds Hinata turned around to watch her leaving form. "PLEASE MISS SHIZUNE! DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS!" She cried to the departing figure who didn't even falter in her steps as she walked out.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

Please leave a review if you like the story thus far.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	27. Chapter 27

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 27

Konan stared in astonishment at the blonde in front of her. There he stood, bruised and bleeding at the bottom of the stairway pointing out to the open front door sputtering nonsense. "Come on Konan!" He reached up and grabbed her sleeve to yank her down. "You have to see this! Hidan beat up the post man!" The blue haired woman stumbled after the panicking man out onto the cold front porch.

"Hidan did what?" Her heart beat irregularly in her chest at the thought as she took in the scene in front of here. There stood Hidan in the middle of the walk way, looking pissed off, confused and slightly sick at her. "What happened here?" It was then her eyes landed on the sprawled body at his feet. "Hidan?" She carefully maneuvered herself down the icy stairs in her bedroom slippers and onto the walkway. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes for a second, praying that when she reopened them, the post man wouldn't be on the ground, groaning in pain. "Konan?" Her eyes snapped open to see Hidan's feet poking the disgruntled post man. "Hidan!" She snapped then dropped to her knees by the post man's side. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't me!"

"Don't try and blame me for this you Jashin worshiping freak!"

"It was you-"

"Both of you shut up and call an ambulance!" In front of her, the post man groaned and grabbed her arm to gain leverage. "Ughh…call…call my…" With that last mumble, he fainted.

Konan sighed, sat back in the snow and stared at the motionless body in front of her. "…So did you two at least get the mail?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Naruto?" The blonde woman opened the door wider, allowing the warm air to rush past her out into the cold. "Sakura?"

Naruto licked his lips before leaning in awkwardly. "Hi Temari…I didn't know where else to go…can we talk?" He asked softly before discreetly nodding back to Sakura who had her eyes permanently glued to her feet.

Temari nodded stiffly and stepped aside to allow them in. "Yeah…of course." She cleared her throat. "Kankurou's at work right now, he'll be back in a few hours."

The two stepped into the foyer and turned as the door shut behind them. Pink eyebrows rose as she took in the high ceilings, intricate wood carvings on the front door, the elaborate floral paintings lining the walls and the two French chairs with matching sofa placed against the wall. "Please take off your outer coats and boots; in the closet you'll find bedroom slippers you can wear." Temari stepped past them and opened a double door entrance near the closet. "Come in when you're ready, I'll go put the kettle on and get some snacks." She smiled and slipped through the doors.

Naruto nodded then turned to the closet and opened it; inside he found a row of empty hangers and several bedroom slippers in various sizes. Wordlessly he slipped off his jacket and hung it up then held out his hand for Sakura's then did the same. He then took off his shoes, selected two pairs of slippers and replaced them with his and Sakura's shoes. "Here." He gave her one of the slippers and put on the other pair.

Before he could walk into the adjoined room, Sakura reached out and grabbed his arm. "Why are we at Temari's?"She whispered and glanced down the hall to what appeared to be a darkened stair case.

"I'm going to see if you can stay here tonight." He peeled her fingers off of his forearm. "Hopefully she says yes. If she does I'll pick you back up in the morning…can't believe it's only Saturday…" He shook his head and sighed tiredly. "Then you and Sasuke are going to talk." His baby blue eyes narrowed warningly. "About everything." With that said, he proceeded though the double doors and into the guest living room.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After seeing the wounded post man into the ambulance and sentencing the two troublemakers to their own rooms, Konan had changed into a dark blue knitted cardigan that hung limply on her tired body; beneath that was a white tank top and black yoga pants. She marched up and down the large, in home office with a scowl on her face. Every once in a while she'd look up from her pacing to glare at the clock, wall or bookshelves, as though threatening them to not give her the answer she desired. After a few more rounds of pacing the entire length of the office, she marched up to the desk, picked up the phone and hit a button which automatically dialed a number. Within the first few rings, someone picked up.

"_Hello?"_ A man's voice answered stiffly.

"Pein. It's me. Konan." She nearly sighed in relief but suppressed the urge.

"_Good…"_ Shuffling was heard on the other end before he continued. "_Evening I suppose. What is going on?" _

A blue eyebrow twitched before she sank down into the high backed leather chair and sighed. "Not much. Which is the problem. I called to find out what the latest news update is."

"_You haven't received any memos?"_ He asked suspiciously.

"No…have you sent any?" Idly she twirled a stray pen between her fingers.

"_Yes. Via the postal service." _

Konan's scowl returned full force. "Not e-mail? You can't try e-mail?"

Pein huffed on the other side. _"Anyone can hack into my computer and read my e-mails Konan."_ He stated as though he were talking to a child. _"Post is more-"_

"We can't get post at the moment because Deidara and Hidan broke the stupid man's arm-the one that delivers the post-and the new guy refuses to deliver it to our house. Which means I have to rent a stupid P.O Box."

"_Well then all the memos should be in there."_ He answered indifferently.

"Well due to all the snow that's fallen the roads have been a pain to drive in and the post office is all the way across town."

A pregnant pause creped in before Pein cleared his throat. _"Meaning?" _

Konan rolled her eyes and stared out at the white landscape. "Meaning that I haven't yet rented the box."

"_Oh…" _

"Yes so…"

"_When did this happen?" _

"When did what happen? The incident with the post man?"

"_Yes."_

"A few hours ago…by the way you might have to pay off a few hospital bills as well as compensation fees for the man so that he won't sue…" She twisted her lips in disappointment. "The new guy who came to pick up where he left off absolutely refused to give us our post today….or ever…"

Pein sighed heavily into the phone. _"Alright…that still doesn't explain why you haven't been receiving any of the previous updates though."_

"I know. What's going on?"

"_Someone has been intercepting them is my only conclusion." _

Konan nodded in agreement until one thought crossed her mind. "Don't take this the wrong way but…are you sure you've been putting the correct address on the envelope?"

After that statement, Pein promptly hung up.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The young, stressed, spiky haired blonde man sat opposite Temari on the sofa. Beside him sat Sakura who nervously twiddled her fingers and kept her eyes on her knees. An awkward silence hung in the air until the kettle went off, signaling it was time for tea. "I best go an get that." Temari mumbled and stood up.

"I'll give you a hand." Naruto stood up alongside her and followed her into the kitchen just beyond another set of doors. The kitchen itself was obviously set up for guests; it was painted a blinding white and had an island as soon as you entered. It lacked any personal touch or pizzazz. "Can I get the cups or something?"

"Are you two going to start talking anytime soon or should I get started on dinner?" The olive eyed woman asked as she turned off the stove then looked at him. "Not to be…abrasive or anything but you two are starting to make me worried." She raised an eyebrow at him. "You two aren't running from the cops are you?"

Naruto paled at the thought and leaned on the counter. "No-no…Sakura…Sakura needs a place to stay tonight and I was wondering if she can stay with you." He blurted out. 'Shit…I meant to be more…clever with that…' While he chastised himself, Temari went about making the tea, gathering tea cups, pouring the water and even making a selection of tea time snacks and laid them all out on the kitchen table. "Why don't you have a seat Naruto?" She finally pulled him out of his thoughts while she took a seat.

Awkwardly, Naruto followed her actions and nodded as she handed him a tea cup and saucer.

"Do you need to stay here too Naruto?" She asked, sipping her tea. "It's alright if you do, it's not a problem at all." She pushed the platter of various cookies towards him.

"No, no thank you. Just Sakura." He took one of the cookies, a macadamia nut one, and bit into it. "It's good thank you."

The blonde haired woman nodded and took another sip of her tea. "So…would you like to tell me why Sakura needs a place to crash?" One perfectly plucked blonde eyebrow rose expectantly at him.

Naruto nodded, finished off the rest of his cookie then sat back in his chair, his hands splayed out on the table top. "I can't tell you everything because it would be a breach of privacy but Sakura told Sasuke something and he is now…how should I say….pissed? Yeah pissed at her. As you know she lives with Kaka-Sempai, but he's still incapacitated and Sasuke…well he has some anger issues…it's just better for everyone is she's in an unexpected place at the moment." He closed his eyes and ran a hand down his stressed face. "Temari, I hate to ask this of you-normally I'd have her stay with me but Sasuke obviously knows where I live and Neji's been distant lately…" He shook his head and sighed. "I know this is a lot to ask-"

"Of course." She cut in. "Of course she can stay here. I already said yes."

The baby blue eyed male blinked in confusion, clearly taken aback by her agreement. He furred his eyebrow and curled his fingers around the tea cup while he leaned forward a bit. "…Really? Just like that? Even after that suspicious explanation?"

The confident woman nodded and smiled. "Yes. Of course." She sighed and relaxed her tensed shoulders. "I knew something was going on with her…" She whispered more to herself than Naruto. "She helped my brother and me when we wanted to visit our brother, its only right that we help her now. I know you aren't telling me the full story and that's fine…it's obviously a long and complicated one which I'm guessing you still aren't completely up-to-date on but it's okay." She reached up to her neck and began to massage it. "Sakura will be alright here. I'll call Kankurou and tell him I'll be working from home today-don't worry about it I didn't want to drive in that snow anyways." She waved off whatever it was he was going to say. "Why don't you get a move on before it starts to pile up here?"

Baby blue eyes swung around to look out the kitchen window, the snow was indeed falling faster and heavier. With a grateful smile to the older woman he stood up and held out his hand for her to shake. "Thank you Temari." He sighed. "Thank you so much…you barley know us and you've already opened up your house to us."

Temari smiled a warm, bashful smile at him and clasped his outstretched hand. "You're welcome Naruto…but I get the feeling, if the situations were reversed; you'd do the same. Now get a move on before the roads block, they aren't very efficient about getting the snow plows out around here. I'll take care of Sakura."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Hinata timidly knocked on her boss' door, squirming when her loud, obnoxious, demanding voice yelled at her to enter. Slowly, as though she were terrified a giant reptile would be waiting for her on the other side; she opened the door and stepped inside. There, opposite her sat Lady Tsunade draining her cup of what appeared to be Sake. "Y-you called for me Milady?"

Golden eyes locked on her shaking form. "Yes I did." She sniffed and poured herself another cup. "I don't trust what Shizune told me about Gaara. Go see how he is."

The young, frightened lavender haired woman swallowed the lump in her throat and played with the hem of her shirt. "I…I have been to see him Ma'am…he seems…alright…" She lied uneasily.

"Oh?" Tsunade took another swig of her drink.

"Y-yes."

The blonde woman sniffed again and leaned back in her chair. "Since you seem to be so efficient you can figure out this weeks schedule then distribute them for me. Dismissed."

"But-but that's you-"

"Dismissed Hinata."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The spiky blonde young man heaved a heavy sigh as he pulled out onto the main street and merged with the flowing traffic. He glanced down at the dashboard and frowned, he was going to get stuck in the evening traffic if he didn't hurry. 'Damn…it's already four forty…I wonder if I take the back roads if it'll be easier? Would the roads already be covered in too much snow?' He chewed his lower lip as he pondered what he should do and craned his neck at the red light to see down one of the side streets. Beside him another car pulled up and he pressed the button on the door and breathed in the cool air the flowed through the window, calming his stressed nerves. 'I'll take the back roads and see.' With that thought, he flicked his finger and turned on the indicator.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shizune cursed mildly to herself as she stood outside the hospital, searching her jacket pockets for her car keys. 'Where are they? Don't tell me I left them at my desk…' She padded the coat pockets. 'Please no please no please no!' Just then she shoved her hand in the inner coat pocket and she sighed in relief. "Thank the Gods." She mumbled to herself then looked out to the parking lot, searching the rows upon rows for her car.

"Shizune? Is that you?" A deep males voice asked from somewhere behind her.

Slowly, almost dreading who she would see she turned to see Kiba and Shikamaru leaning out one of the side doors staring at her. "Are you leaving already?" Kiba asked and glanced up into the sky. "The snow's coming down…the roads would be really slick you know…I don't know if you can beat it…"

The exhausted assistant shook her head and sighed a defeated sigh.

"Are you alright Shizune?" Shikamaru asked, walking up to her. "What happened?"

She looked up at the tall, strong, blasé guard in front of her and hung her head. "She's gone mad Shikamaru…mad…"

The pineapple haired guard frowned at her as he shoved his cold hands into his pant pocket. "What are you on about?" He drawled, shifting as the snow began to build up on the ground.

"If you two are going to chat I think it best we all go inside don't you think?" Kiba's annoyed voice called out to them from the doorway.

"Shikamaru I think it best we talk." Shizune whispered, avoiding his eyes. "Let's go for dinner. Kiba can come if he likes…in fact I think it best he join us."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto massaged his forehead as he sunk into the sofa, leaning heavily on the arm. "Man…Sempai…" He shook his head.

"What?" Kakashi asked, sitting on the arm of the chair opposite Naruto.

Naruto shrugged and sighed. "I don't even know what to say…" He whispered. "This is so fucked up…I take it he told you?"

"As much as he could…is it true? Itachi Uchiha is his brother?"

The spiky blonde nodded, scratching behind his head. "Yeah…its true…where is he?"

"Sasuke? He left. He went home."

Naruto nodded. "Good…good…knowing him he'll go and sleep it off."

"You think?"

Naruto thought for a moment then snorted. "No…no he's going to go find out whatever he can about his brother."

"How's Sakura?"

The baby blue eyed male shook his head. "Fine…better than me actually." He chuckled without meaning it. "I'm tired of this." He whispered. "I really am Sempai…I mean…I'm siding with Sasuke on this one-its fucked up that she hid this from him…Sasuke-as selfish as he is-deserved to know this as soon as his parents died…if I had known…I would have told him myself. Knowing that he has a brother alive somewhere would have given him some comfort you know?"

Kakashi nodded sympathetically. "Yeah but she's gone through so much. You have to cut her some slack."

"No!" Naruto jumped up despite his aching, exhausted body crying out for rest. "I'm fucking sick and tired of cutting her slack just because she had memory problems." He shook his head completely frustrated. "I love Saku-you know I do! But this is where I draw the fucking line! If it had been up to her she wouldn't have told him anything! HE would have gone his entire life thinking he was an only child!" Naruto fisted his hands in his hair. "If it hadn't slipped out she wouldn't have said one fucking thing!"

Dark eyes narrowed at the young blonde man standing in front of him, still cloaked in his winter jacket and shoes. "So you don't think Sakura was-"

"I think what she did was out of love-but it's still wrong! No matter how I think of it…to me it's still goddamn wrong…" He cut in, his voice faltering to the end. "No matter what she does I am still going to love her, I won't stop because of some stupid mistakes but she needs to…I don't know…I just don't know…" He took a deep breath to relax then stuck one hand in his pant pocket, fingering his car keys. "I'm going to go talk to Sasuke. I can only imagine how he's feeling right now." With that said, he ran out of the house, leaving Kakashi all alone.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

Reviews are how I know you are enjoying or disliking the story.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	28. Chapter 28

Out of curiosity, can anyone guess how this story will end?

If anyone is able to predict correctly (or close enough) they will receive a virtual cookie.

And I will write a story of their choosing. An example being some sort of dramatic romance between Shikamaru and Ino.

All you need to do is post a comment/review with your prediction and your story idea. Be detailed as possible though (with your guess and your story idea). If you are correct, I will send you a message letting you know as well as post updates concerning it.

Good Luck,

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 28

Naruto sped down the snow slicked highway, nervously biting his lower lip every time his tires began to drift. The roads were clear despite the hour; everyone was doing their best to avoid driving in this weather. He clicked on his high beams even though there was still light out, quickly he glanced at the glowing clock on the dashboard and gritted his teeth. 'Seven forty five pm…just a few more minutes before I lose the sunlight…' With that thought, he merged into the far left lane and picked up speed. 'I don't want to be out here after the sun goes down…' He swallowed thickly, keeping an eye on the passing signs for when the proper exit came up. 'Sasuke will let me crash at his place…right?' Behind him he heard the screeching of tires followed by terrified screams. Quickly he took his foot off of the gas and gently tapped the brakes, glancing back in his mirror just in time to see someone spin into the middle of the highway, causing the oncoming cars to dodge into the immediate lanes. 'Damn! They could have caused a major accident! Defiantly would have been a pile up for sure…lucky not much people are out tonight-come on! Drive into the emergency lane!' He kept his eyes locked on the car even as he cruised into the far right lane and onto the ramp. Within minutes he was on Sasuke's snow covered street, it looked as though only one other person before him had tried to pass through the street; he did his best to follow the previous persons tire prints and only had a bit of trouble pulling into his friends driveway.

Smiling in relief when he pulled in behind Sasuke's car, he turned off the engine, took a deep bracing breath against the cold he got out of his car, locked it, then took large, steady steps up to the midnight blue haired man's car and braced himself against it. He then took to the walkway and frowned when he saw no footprints. 'I hope he'll let me in…' He breathed in the cold air, shuddering as it filled his lungs then trekked up to the front door and knocked.

"Go away!" Was the muffled reply he received.

"Sasuke it's me Naruto! Let me in!"

"No."

"It's cold outside."

"Its' snowing smartass. Go home."

"But your right here-let me in!"

"I want to be alone."

"Why?"

"Because-"

Just then a gust of wind blew and sent – of snow whipping against the blonde. "PLEASE! Man its fucking cold as hell out here! Come on-I'm on your side!"

"This isn't war idiot! Go home! It's going to be a fucking storm tonight!"

Baby blue eyes rolled dramatically as he shuffled his feet to rid his pants of snow. "Sasuke! That's all the more reason to let me in!"

"Go home before it comes down harder!"

"The roads are already being blocked off!" He lied, stomping his feet to increase circulation in his cold body.

"I don't give a lizard's fuck!"

Awkward silence.

"What?" Naruto eventually asked, honestly confused at the statement.

"Go away!"

Naruto groaned and kicked the door, cursing as prickles darted up his now frozen leg. "OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR OR I'LL BREAK IT DOWN!" He threatened. After a few seconds, he heard the locks being turned and the door opening. 'Thank the Gods.' When the door finally opened, he barreled in with no regards for the midnight blue haired man.

Sasuke snorted, closed and locked the front door then turned to look at Naruto who now stood in a puddle in the middle of the short hallway. "You're getting snow all over the floor!" He gripped, glaring at the shivering blonde man in front of him.

"It's water Sasuke." Naruto drawled, and let out a shiver that wracked his entire body. "I'm pretty fucking sure it'll dry."

After a few seconds of just standing there, Sasuke muttered something under his breath, squeezed past Naruto who was slowly peeling off his wet clothing and walked into the kitchen. "I'm putting the kettle on. Don't leave a fucking trail."

Baby blue eyes rolled but toed off his wet shoes and jacket, shook the snow out of his messy hair and left the sopping clothing on coat rack before following the midnight blue haired man into the kitchen. There he found him leaning against the counter glaring at his feet. After a few, awkward seconds, he spoke. "You wouldn't have really broken down the door…would you?"

Naruto snorted and walked closer to the working stove to get some much needed warmth back into his body. "No…but I might have smashed a window."

Sasuke raised an eye at him.

"Much easier to mend with duck tape." Was all the answer he received before the kettle went off.

"Barbarian." Sasuke muttered, reaching over to turn off the stove and began fixing two cups of tea.

While Sasuke went about fixing tea for the two of them, Naruto wandered into the living room and took a seat on the arm chair that was closest to the heating vents. As he made himself comfortable; opening the small fleece throw and spreading it over his legs and settling himself down into the chair, he observed the mess in front of him. Various albums of all shapes and sizes littered the coffee table and spilled out onto the flooring; one particular photo caught his eye. It was in an album that hung dramatically off the edge of the table, trapped underneath two smaller ones. In it was a photo of Sasuke as a baby; he stood on his two legs, his hands grasping the hands of an unknown adult. It was taken outside in the grass on what appeared to be a warm summer's day. He had a huge, proud smile on his face and grinned at the camera without shame.

"Here." Sasuke walked into the living room and handed the spiky blonde man a mug then walked around the mess to take a seat on the couch. "I put a bit of whiskey in it. Should warm you up fast." He muttered before taking a gulp of his own tea and grimacing as it burned the back of his throat.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him, sniffed his mug then let out a low whistle. "A bit?" He then took a gingery sip, contorting his face as it slithered down his throat and settled in his stomach, burning all the way down. "So…I see you took a trip down memory lane." He jutted his chin down to the coffee table. "How was it?"

Onyx eyes rolled. "Pointless. There's nothing in there."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing concerning my…my brother." His fingers slowly curled into a tight fist. "How the hell could she do that? She lied to me for…for how long?" His angry eyes landed on Naruto who's normally relaxed look turned dark. "Well? Do you know? I expect she would have told you everything…being the fucking Prince you are." He sneered before ripping his gaze away from his friend and back down to the mug.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. 'I should tell him…Sakura should tell him-but he needs to know now! But he should hear it from her…then again something is wrong with her-who knows if she'll tell him the truth? If I tell him now then he could check the family vaults she mentioned! Plus, when I do sit the two of them down to talk we can see if she planned to lie…' He looked across at his sulking friend and cleared his throat. "Hey…I think I need to tell you some things…"

Sasuke looked at him and sipped his alcohol drenched tea. "Why am I not surprised My Lord?" He mocked darkly.

Naruto ignored the jib and continued on. "Sakura told me some things earlier regarding Itachi. He is your brother by the way. The reason there aren't any pictures in any of those albums" Baby blue eyes darted down to the coffee table briefly before looking back at his friend. "Is because he made your parents put them all away in the family vault…I'm pretty sure they might still be there. You pay the rental every month right?"

"Of course!" Sasuke scoffed, mildly insulted. "It's the reason my account is steadily decreasing…come to think of it I never did look inside that vault…"

"Why? If you did you might have-"

"I never had cause to." Sasuke cut him off, lost in his own mind. "All the money I ever needed was automatically transferred to my back accounts when I reached certain predetermined ages and I inherited all of the estates so whenever I needed cash fast…"

"You just sold something." Naruto finished off with a snort. 'Just like you; money never was a problem…rich bastard.'

"Yeah…" The now tepid man relaxed into his couch and kicked his feet up atop the coffee table, pushing several more albums onto the messy floor. "So…what happened?"

A single blonde eyebrow rose. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid Naruto. Tell me what happened with Sakura."

The blonde young man sighed, took a bracing gulp of his tea then began his story. "I took her to China House, we got a seat near the back. At first she didn't want to talk but then, after some tough love she began talking. She said that Itachi left his family a few weeks after you were born because he didn't want his decisions to reflect on you. It was because he joined the Akatsuki-you know the famous dirty organization-he made his parents hide and remove any traces of his ever being their son. So they treated you like you were an only child."

"How'd she find out then?"

"She went nosing though the man's drawers."

"What?"

"I'm not too sure…I'm still a little confused on that but anyways you know how she was a part of that organization right? Well she spent a lot of time with them and that's how she got to know him and he told her his story."

Sasuke's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "She was talking to my brother all through High school?" He asked disbelievingly.

"W-yeah…yeah actually I guess she has…"

"You're fucking kidding me…"

"No…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Temari waltz through the doors and back into the guest living room balancing a large tray in one hand and the house phone in the other. Quickly, she crossed the vast space and carefully set the silver tray down on the coffee table in front of Sakura. She then smiled at the younger, nervous woman and reclaimed her seat opposite her. "Naruto just left." She stated warmly, trying to break the ice. "Don't worry; you'll be staying here tonight. The guest room closets are fitted with sleeping clothes, I'm sure we can find you something to wear."

"Thank you Temari." Sakura nodded, still uncomfortable.

The older woman frowned and stared at Sakura, taking in her detached expression, and forlorn demeanor. She worked her jaw for a few seconds before she cleared her throat, gaining the other woman's attention. "Sakura I don't know what happened but you really mustn't be so…dreary." She stated simply. "I am not judging you. Whatever you did; you did. It cannot be undone. All you can do now is handle the situation you created in a dignified and mature manner-which I am sure you know given your occupation." One blonde eyebrow rose in a challenge. "If you wish to sulk, go ahead. But it is pointless because no one in this house knows what you did or is capable of judging you for it."

Emerald orbs stared back at her in shock before she shook her head and sniffed. "I'm sorry Temari. I just assumed that…" She tucked a stray strand of hair behind one ear and shrugged. "Naru Naru told you everything…I guess he didn't…" Her eyes avoided the blonde, business-like woman in front of her.

Temari's frowned deepened, even as she reached forward to the coffee table and poured two cups of tea before sweetening her own. "Sakura…" She sighed and closed her eyes. 'This is more stressful than I thought…she's so…not the woman she use to be…' The teacup clicked as she stirred the small spoon in it. "Like I said, this does not concern me. This house is open to you like I told Naruto. Kankurou is at work right now-hopefully he will make it home before the snow mounts up. I however, am not going out to the office. I will be working in my office upstairs. If you like I can show you to your room now, before I get started." She stated coolly, reaching forward and picking out two ginger cookies off the platter.

Slowly Sakura reached down to the teacup and added her sugar before stirring it. "Can I just…hang around here?" She asked, wondering if it would be rude of her. "You see, I rather not lock myself away just yet…I've had a rather terrible day and…well…"

"I see." Temari cut in, sipping at her tea. "I told you this house is open to you." Olive eyes scanned the slightly more relaxed woman in front of her. "You are welcome to the kitchen, living room, library, entertainment whatever-but I have work to do therefore you will be on your own."

Pink hair swayed as she nodded. "That's fine, I understand." She sipped at her tea, closing her eyes as the warm, calming liquid rushed down her throat and comforted her from the inside out. "Thank you Temari." Emerald eyes opened and locked on the blonde, confident woman opposite her.

"It's not a problem." She answered simply.

After a few seconds, Sakura licked her lips and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. "I don't mean to pry…but-"

"I'm sorry but I have work to do." Temari abruptly stood up and placed the tea cup and saucer back onto the tray. "Like I said you are welcome to go exploring. Through those double doors" She pointed to her right. "You will find the staircase that will lead upstairs where I will be." With that said, she left.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Temari burst into her office and immediately removed the gray dress jacket she was wearing and slung it over the arm of a chair. She then made a beeline for her large oak desk that sat directly in front of the door. Behind the desk was a large pane of frosted windows that usually gave her a wonderful view of the garden. After clicking on the desk light, she picked up her office phone and pressed a single button that immediately began self dialing. After a few rings, a bored, indifferent male's voice finally picked up. "Hello?"

Relief flooded through Temari's body as she sunk down into the large, brown, leather chair behind the oak desk. "Kankurou?"

"Hey Tem." His voice suddenly lost all traces of boredom at the sound of his sister's voice. "What's going on? Are you almost here?"

"Actually I'm calling to tell you I won't be there…" She sunk down into the leather and stared at the documents littering the top of her desk with mild interest.

"Why not? Don't tell me the roads are already blocked…damn them! What the hell are we paying taxes for t-"

"Shut up and let me finish!" She snapped, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Sakura is here and well-"

"Sakura's there? At the house?"

"No she's in Canada at the moment and I'm just-what the hell do you think Kankurou?"

"Gee just checking Tem." He snorted. "No need to bite my fucking head off…"

"Sorry…sorry…it's just stressful." She dropped her voice to a low whisper.

"The situation or her?"

"Her." Temari turned her attention to the door directly opposite her, frowning as she saw a shadow move under the doorway.

"Ah."

A pregnant silence built between them before Temari broke it. "She's different now."

"Do I want to ask why?" He muttered dryly, knowing where this conversation was going.

Temari sighed but continued on. "She's depressing to be around. She makes thing uncomfortable-I had to resort to my delegation persona just to be in the same room with her."

"Such a kind thing to say Tem." He drawled.

"She was off before…but now it's like…I think she's bipolar Kankurou."

Kankurou groaned into the phone, tired with his sister and her incessant overanalyzing of situations. "Temari. Listen to yourself. You're diagnosing a psychologist? Really? I know you're concerned about her Tem, really I do and I'm concerned myself but if she has a problem-it's her problem. That's it. She has Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi who she can speak to." The shuffling of papers was heard on the other end of the line before he continued on. "Now bring yourself back down to earth and get to work; I'm logging online now. We can communicate via video chat and go over the documents-there are copies in my office in the second file cabinet near the window." With that said, he hung up.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Long, pink hair glided behind Sakura as she steadily roamed the long, dramatic halls. Every wall was lined with enormous pictures or paintings, the ceilings were high arched with large chandeliers hanging and every few paces there was either a chair or couch to sit upon. 'This is amazing.' She stood in front of a family portrait hanging in the family living room placed above a large fireplace. The painting was of a man, a woman, Temari, Kankurou and who she presumed to be their younger brother. They were all young, barely kids. "Wow…" She breathed as her gaze darts down to the display on the fireplace; it was a large, glass caterpillar with mini pictures sealed inside of different up-to-date pictures of the family. It was the very last picture that caught her attention; it was one of a young, pale, red headed man with bored, empty teal eyes. '…He looks so familiar…' She tilted her head to the side, studying the young man in the picture. 'Those eyes…I know those eyes…'

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Temari now sat in a small conference room in front of a large, flat screen television with her brother's face on screen. She sat at the head of a semi-circle table with various papers and folders littered around her. Through video chat she and her brother were discussing this year's end of quarter write up and double and triple checking the numbers before getting ready to file them. "Okay." She mumbled, pulling out a thick stack and clicking the red pen she hand in hand. "Start reading, I'll note any discrepancies on my copy alright?"

Things went on like that for a few minutes before he chanced a glance up at his screen then paused in his speech to stare at something behind Temari; slowly, the blonde woman looked over her shoulder to see Sakura peaking into the room. "Oh…hello Sakura."

"Hi Sakura. How are you?" Kankurou asked politely, looking directly at her as he placed down his sheets of paper on his desk.

Sakura smiled uncomfortably, her cheeks tingeing pink under the attention. "Hi Kankurou. I'm fine thanks for asking. How about you?"

The young man smiled and shrugged as he leaned back in the high backed leather chair and took a steaming cup of what appeared to be coffee from the hands of someone. "I'm doing alright. So Tem tells me you'll be staying the night?"

Pink hair swayed as she nodded, looking up at the giant flat screen television. "Yeah…"

"Well that's good-so sorry that I won't be able to make it home for dinner with you two." He sipped at his beverage then set it down beside a manila folder. "I'm told that the roads are being shut down and the plows won't be out for another few hours. It would make more sense for me to spend the night here instead of braving the weather." He chuckled, though it was dry.

Sakura nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that…"

"Don't be." He sighed. "You can't control the weather can you? Anyways pray tell, what made you wander in here?"

"Oh!" She colored once again and turned her attention to Temari who had discreetly covered all of the papers scattered about in front of her. "I was just wondering if you could point me in the direction of the guest room I'll be staying in?"

"Ah, of course." Temari stood and tried to smoothen out her wrinkled dress shirt. "Give me ten minutes Kanky and then we can finish up alright?" She raised an eyebrow at her indifferent brother who only waved a hand at her then turned the large chair to the book case behind him.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kiba swished his drink, watching as the liquid dancing up to the edge of the glass before falling back down to the bottom. Out of the side of his eye he saw Shikamaru pour himself another shot.

"Must I really be here? I think it's a blizzard out…at this rate I won't make it home." The guard with upside down triangle tattoos whined. Beside him Shikamaru jostled him. "You can crash at my place tonight."

"I know this is inconvenient." A woman's voice drew his attention. Kiba looked up across from him to see Shizune staring down at her hands resting on the table top."But I need to talk to you two about Tsunade."

"No honorifics?" Kiba cut in.

"Let her talk."

Shizune swallowed thickly before nodding. "Something needs to be done about her. I'm sure you two have seen the changes? She's running the hospital into the ground…did you know she doesn't even do her own work anymore?"

"Who does it?"

"Me! I handle all of the paperwork for her, I make the schedules, I tend to the patients-I've even taken her last few therapy sessions!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her as he downed his shot of whiskey. "Why?" He asked after the burning in his throat dialed down.

"I don't know…" She ran a rand through her hair and hung her head. "Because I'm stupid…because I thought she was my friend…because I didn't want her to get in trouble…"

"So what do you want us to do?" Kiba asked, sipping his Scotch and Coke. "We're only guards…we have no weight to throw around." He glanced at the pineapple haired guard beside him. "I have no weight to throw around." He corrected.

Silence settled between the three co-workers, each lost in their own thoughts. Kiba glanced around the restaurant, noting that despite the weather and impending storm, there was a sizable amount of people out drinking and eating. Shizune had selected a restaurant and bar, deciding that the discussion would lead to a need of hard liquor instead of soft drinks. His eyes then wondered to the windows, sighing at the amount of snow that had already built up outside. 'At this rate we might not even make it out of this restaurant…'

Shikamaru thought for a few seconds before sighing and rubbed the back of his neck. "You can report her for negligence…I'm sure several of the staff members will testify when need be. Or you can quit."

Two pairs of eyes landed on him. "Quit?" They repeated simultaneously.

"Yes quit. You do realize that no one is forcing you two to work there right? You two are welcome to send in your resignation letters at any time."

Kiba blinked stupidly at his friend for a few seconds. "You're not…are you? Is it because of Ino?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "No. Well yes I have been entertaining the thought." He eyed Shizune across from him. "But it's not because of Ino. My working environment has gone from comfortable to threatening and I do not like it. Therefore I'm thinking of removing myself from the situation." He stated calmly.

"That's bull." Kiba muttered. "Ino wants you to move or something and you're doing it…by the way have you done "it" yet?" He literally used his fingers to indicate the air quotes around the word 'it.'

The pineapple haired guard sent his friend a mild glare as he refilled his glass. "Is this really the time or place Kiba? Can we get back on subject now? And no. I haven't." He finished briskly, downing his shot.

"I agree, let's get back on track." Shizune sipped at her water. "I think reporting would be best."

"Who's going to report her? I'm not doing it!" Kiba held his hands up in surrender. "I need my job…"

The stressed woman sighed. "I suppose I would be the fittest one…" She chewed on her lower lip for a few seconds, her gaze fixed on a spot above Shikamaru's head. 'I know I should be the one to report her…I want to report her-what she's do is wrong. Morally and-"

"If you can't do it I will." Shikamaru pulled her from her thoughts. "I know you two are friends…were friends. It must be hard for you-regardless it needs to be done." With that said he waved the waitress over. "What do you two want to eat? I think I want a steak sandwich."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

It would be brilliant if you would read the note at the top and leave a review with your thoughts.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	29. Chapter 29

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 29

Pein sat behind his large, black desk cursing at the stack of papers staring up at him. It was the middle of the night and he was hard pressed to find any of his acquaintances awake and willing to work at this late hour. Quickly, before any thoughts could escape him he scribbled a note down on a stack of sticky notes before clicking off the light at his desk and standing up. 'Investigator' Was all the note read. "Fucking government officials thinking I'm stupid enough not to know when I'm being followed." Was all he muttered before he disappeared into his dark bedroom adjoined onto his office for the night.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sakura woke the next morning to the sound of someone knocking at the door. Groggily she blinked open her eyes and looked at her unfamiliar settings. After a few seconds, she recognized the knocking and sat up, groaning loudly to acknowledge the noise. "Sakura? You're up? Good. Listen the weather people lied-or over estimated again-take it as you will, but anyways the snows not that bad, the streets are currently being cleared and Naruto called to say that he'll be picking you up in about two hours to go to lunch. Alright?" Temari's loud, booming voice thundered though the thick wood of a door.

"Kay…" The pinkett mumbled back, squinting at the glowing clock resting on the bedside table. It read eight-ten AM. 'Gotta get up…rude to sleep in…' She chanted in her head as she slowly peeled back the warm blankets to let the cold air hit her skin. After a few seconds, she mustered enough energy to fumble out of bed and into the on suite bathroom to take a shower.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sasuke cursed as he took one step out the front door only to be assaulted by a gust of cold wind sending snow up into his face. "Fucking hell! I hate winter!"

"I'm sure winter hates you as well." Naruto muttered from behind him. "Now before they launch another attack against you I suggest we get a move on yeah?" He squeezed past his friend and out onto the pathway, careful to feel out the ground before he slipped on ice.

"Oh you're so fucking funny Naruto." The irate midnight blue haired man derided as he locked his front door and stuffed the keys into his coat pocket. "You should give up your day job and become a damn comedian."

The spiky blonde ignored his comment in favor of slowly moving towards his car, cursing as his foot almost gave out under him. "Don't you have any salt for the walk? What if someone broke their leg?" He asked, bracing himself on the edge of Sasuke's car.

"Salt?" Sasuke muttered, unlocking his car. "Why the hell would I have salt out here?" He snorted as he reached inside and grabbed his snow cleaner for the car. "Anyways are you going to come with me or what?"

Naruto shrugged and made his way over to his own snow covered orange machine to unlock and clean it. "Cant…wait do you want me to?" He cocked an eyebrow at his friend as he cleaned his windshield.

"You busy?"

"Not really…I mean I was going to take Sakura to lunch remember? And you were supposed to meet me there? You two are going to talk?"

"Oh…right." Sasuke ducked inside his car and started the engine to let it warm up. "So…meet you at the restaurant then?"

"Yeah." Naruto answered, cleaning the rear windscreen and removing as much snow as possible from his car. "Aren't you at least going to shovel a bit?" He asked, glancing around at the amount of snow piled up.

Sasuke followed his gaze then shrugged, kicking aside the snow that gathered around his and Naruto's car. "Nah. If some ass decides to brave it not my fault."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The next morning, Shizune calmly applied her makeup, dressed for the day, ate a small but healthy breakfast then went to her in-home office and riffled through some old documents before pulling out an official sealed envelope. She then sat at her small, tidy desk and clicked on the lamp before slitting open the envelope and pulling out the top paper. After a few deep breaths, she picked up the desk phone and dialed the number at the top of the paper. At the second ring, a woman's voice answered the phone.

Shizune's heart pounded loudly in her chest, blocking out whatever greeting the woman offered. "Good morning."She began unsteadily before clearing her voice and calming her nerves. "I would like to report Kyoto's Insane Asylum for negligence against its patients and staff."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Half an hour later Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat as he followed the young man back through the long halls in the bank to where they kept the large vaults. He swallowed a lump rising in his throat when the young man stopped in front of vault number two-eighty and placed the key in the lock. "Are you okay Sir?" He asked Sasuke as he slowly unlocked the vault.

"Fine. Open it up."

The young man did as he asked and opened the vault, automatic lights lit up the dark room, casting eerie shadows in all of the dark crevices where boxes, bags and what appeared to be sheet covered furniture. Sasuke stood in stunned silence at the sheer volume of stuff piled inside. "Behind that large sheet Sir you will find a smaller vault. Your additional key will open it. Would you like me to do so for you?"

Jerkily, Sasuke shook his head no.

"Very well Sir." The young man stepped back out of the vault and took a stand beside the doorway. "I cannot leave you unattended Sir but I will remain out here until you are finished."

Numbly, Sasuke moved into the large room and began looking around at all of the things inside. His eyes roamed over the furniture but read the boxes that were all labeled; soon he found several white boxes with the words 'family albums' scrawled atop them. Stiffly, he took a seat on one of the covered chairs and pulled the box towards him. After fumbling in his jacket pocket for a few seconds, he pulled out his keys and sliced open the top of the box, revealing several old albums. Shakily, he reached inside and pulled out the top album; it was a thick one with a black and blue plaid design on the front. With trembling fingers he opened the book and his heart skipped a beat.

There, on the first page was a photo of Itachi; sitting under the large patio umbrella near the grill drinking a bottle of Heineken.

"Holy shit…" He muttered, staring at the photo in front of him; without thinking, he began to thumb through the rest of the album, and on each page was a photo of his brother. Sitting with his mother and father, some even had pictures of Itachi holding Sasuke as a baby. One particular photo caught his eye and he stopped on the page; blown up to cover the entire page was a photo of Itachi holding newborn Sasuke in his arms. It was taken in the hospital, probably hours after Sasuke was born. Itachi cradled him in his arms and was smiling down at his new baby brother with love in his eyes, as though he didn't even know the camera was there.

Suddenly, tear drops fell onto the photo, blurring the face of Itachi. Ferociously, Sasuke wiped the tears away of his face and cleaned the photo before shutting the album and gently setting it at his side. He then reached into the box and pulled out a smaller album, one that his mother probably kept on her person. Shakily, he opened to a random page and found a younger version of Itachi staring back at him. "You are my brother…" He mumbled softy to himself, as he reached inside his jacket pocket to pull out his cell phone. Quickly, he scrolled down the screen, selected Naruto's number and typed a quick txt.

'_Sakura is right. Itachi is my brother. I found all of the albums.' _

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto smiled warmly at Sakura as he opened the passenger door and helped her out of his car, bracing her arm before she lost her balance on the slick ground. "Cheer up Sakura." He began, locking his car as he escorted her to the front doors of the casual restaurant. He was wearing one of Sasuke's black trousers and black dress shirts, having spent the night, but his own winter coat and shoes. "This was going to come out in due time. Not just happened to be the time." He soothed, opening the front door for her to walk through. She was wearing an new above the knee black pencil dress and white dress shirt Temari had bought but never worn along with her own boots and winter jacket.

"Just because it was going to happen eventually doesn't mean I'm going to be all happy and jolly about it." She sighed and walked up to a young man smiling politely at her. "How many Miss?"

"Three." Naruto answered from behind her. "Near the window would be nice."

"Alright." The young man looked down at the podium and quickly scribbled something down before taking three menus off of the stack. "Follow me if you will." He led them down to the far back near a long panel of windows. "You can take your pick of seating if you like."

Sakura quickly pointed to one table in the center of the narrow section. "Here will be great thanks." She smiled at the young man as he placed the menu's down on the table. "Alright. Your server will be with you shortly." He then turned and left.

"Not bad…" Naruto looked around at the sparse patrons as he hung his jacket over the back of his chair and took a seat. "Its comfortable here. They re-renovated since the last time I came." Opposite him Sakura slung her overcoat over the back of her chair and took a seat. "It's nice." She commented softly.

Just then a bubbly woman came up to them. "Hi! Are you two ready to order or do you need some more time? How about drinks?"

Baby blue eyes darted up to the bashful Sakura and sighed. "Order something. Temari told me you didn't eat anytime last night or this morning."

The pinkett only shrugged and avoided his gaze.

"Okay." He shook his head. "We'll have some fries, dumplings, chicken wings and two coffees for now thanks."

The server nodded as she scribbled down the order. "Alright. I'll be back with your order."

Naruto nodded then frowned as his phone vibrated in his pant pocket. After a few seconds of fumbling around, he pulled it out to see a text message from Sasuke blinking. He tapped the screen and read the message.

'_Sakura is right. Itachi is my brother. I found all of the albums.' _

A deeper frown settled on his face as the words sunk into his head. 'Well…would it have been better if it was all lies? At least it was the truth…'

"Is that Sempai?" Sakura's soft voice dragged him out of his thoughts.

"No. No its Sasuke." He quickly tapped out a message and sent it. _'Alright. We're at the restaurant. Hurry up. Bring some albums?' _ "Don't worry Sakura." He turned his attention back to the worried pinkett sitting opposite him. "You're not in trouble. We're going to clear everything up alright? Air all the dirty laundry." He grinned cheekily at her. "Figuratively of course. Unless someone's bloomers needs airing?" He raised a mocking eyebrow at her causing her to blush but giggle all the same. "There's that smile! Thought it was gone forever."

It was then the server returned with their order, she placed down the three dishes in the middle of the table and then the two large mugs of coffee followed by two plates. "There you go! Anything else I can get you?"

"No thank you." Naruto smiled up at her as she left while popping a few fries into his mouth.

Curious green eyes darted around the restaurant as she sipped the steaming cup of coffee in front of her and played with the edge of her napkin.

"Saku, come on eat." She looked up into the sparkling baby blue eyes of her best friend pushing the tray of French fries towards her as he took a gulp of his coffee.

"I'm not like you, you know." Her long fingers moved gracefully to the tray and picked up one fry. "My stomachs not a bottomless pit Naru." She scowled playfully before popping the fry into her mouth and reaching for another.

Naruto laughed and nodded then sneakily pushed the plate filled with dumplings closer to arm then leaned back. 'At least she's eating something now.' He breathed deeply as a small smile snuck onto his lips. 'Though…' He glanced down at the Rolex resting on his wrist. 'They are running late…'

"Hey…" Sakura began, munching on a fry and twirling a stand of her long pink hair. "That guy over there…he looks awfully familiar don't you think?" She motioned somewhere behind Naruto's head.

"Huh?" He turned to see no one in particular behind him. "Uh…I don't see anyone Saku…" Baby blue eyes turned back to see her still staring past him.

"What do you mean? Right there!" She pointed casually with her hand; her long, pale, pink nails gesturing behind him to an empty seat in front of the open window. "He's right there-the guy with red hair and pale skin." Her emerald eyes remained focused on him even as her best friend grabbed her jaw and jerked her head to look at him.

"Sakura…"

Baffled emerald eyes blinked up at her best friend in front of her. "N…don't you see him?" She whispered, panic starting too coarse throughout her body.

"Sakura tell me what you're talking about. What are you seeing?" Worry etched into the baby blue eyed man's face as his worst fears played themselves out in his mind. 'For fucks sake don't tell me she's remembering Gaara now!'

"A man with red hair and pale skin…" She whispered, staring past his shoulder. "He's wearing a…a hospital uniform and holding…" Her eyes squinted to see better. "Puppets?"

Naruto jerked her head back to face him and stared into her orbs, trying to figure out what exactly she was talking about. "…Puppets Sakura?"

"Yeah…weird right?"

Slowly, the spiky blonde male nodded and released her face, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah…weird…I'm going to go call someone okay? Stay right here. Don't move." With that said he jumped out of his chair and walked to a corner not too far from Sakura. Without taking his eyes off of the confused, nervous pinkett he called Sasuke. After a few rings, the midnight blue haired man picked up. _"Hello?"_

"Sasuke man where the hell are you?" Naruto spat into the phone, earning him a few odd looks from the workers walking by.

_"In Switzerland you idiot where the hell do you think I am? I'm stuck in fucking traffic."_

"Now's not the time for bullshit-we need to get Sakura to a doctor and fast." He waved off a female server walking up to him with a concerned look on her face.

The sound of someone blowing their car horn blared though the phone before Sasuke spoke. _"What? A doctor? Take her then you don't need me." _

Baby blue eyes rolled at his friend's denseness. "Not her physician you dolt. A mental one. A physiatrist or something."

"_Ahhh…now you see what I've been talking about huh?" _Sasuke's voice turned mildly conceited.

"Don't get cocky." He ran a hand though his messy hair and sighed. "I don't know any physiatrist'. Do you?"

"_Why the hell do you expect me to know one?" _

"Because you're rich. You were born rich. You grew up rich-isn't that in your like yearly health care routine?"

"…_What?" _

"I don't know-don't you rich people always get dental checkups and medical and mental every years or something?" He began to pace, his eyes still locked on Sakura who now started stirring her coffee out of boredom and the need for something to do.

"…_Naruto what the hell are you talking about?" _

"I don't fucking know! Just help me instead of criticizing me!"

"_What about Shizune?" _

"Shizune? You mean Tsunade's assistant?"

"_Yeah doesn't she have a degree or something?" _

"I don't know."

"_Well give her a call." _

"But Sempai-you know he won't like this."

"_Then don't tell him. Anyways some police are ahead and I don't really feel like getting a ticket. I'll call you later to find out what's going on. Bye."_ With that said he hung up.

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck to try and rid the impending stress he felt coming. "Are you okay Sir?" Baby blue eyes looked to his side to see a young server balancing a tray full of drinks looking at him. "Do you need me to call an ambulance?"

Heat rushed to the spiky blondes face but he shook his head. "No! No it's fine. Just some unforeseen problems at work. But thank you." He then scrolled down his phone book and clicked Shizune's number. 'Pick up, pick up, pick up.'

"_Hello?" _Shizune answered on the third ring.

"Shizune! It's Naruto. Listen I know this is out of the blue but you're a physiatrist right?"

"_Sort of…why?" _

"Well…to be honest the shit's hit the fan and I need you to do me a favor. Do you think you can see Sakura an see…see if she's alright?"

A long pause built between them before she answered. _"Naruto, I'm sorry but-"_

"Please Shizune. Please." A long, tired sigh escaped his lips. "You don't know what it's like- too see her like this…it's like she's going insane and all I can do is stand by and watch as she falls apart." He ran a hand down his face. "I'm not asking you to diagnose her or care for her. All I want is for you to see her and tell me if she's…" He couldn't say it; he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

After a few seconds Shizune hummed. _"Okay. Alright Naruto. Bring Sakura to the hospital. Go through the side entrance. I'll see her at four O'clock." _

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shikamaru sighed and chanced a glance up at Ino who sat across the breakfast table from him. As soon as he looked he regretted it, there she sat glaring holes into his face. "Ino…"

"Don't Ino me." She spat and tossed down the fork she had in her hand. "You just bring him over here in the middle of the night?" With one long manicured finger she pointed to Kiba who sat sheepishly at Shikamaru's side trying to make himself invisible. "Did you ever think of calling me? Would a 'Hey Ino, I know you won't be too happy about this but since it's snowing out, I want to let Kiba spend the night. Would you mind?' Did that ever occur to you?" Her blue eyes blazed in anger and frustration. "Did it?"

The pineapple haired guard bit his lower lip in thought before he sat up straighter and looked his girlfriend in the eye. "Honestly Ino? No. It didn't. I didn't think you would let him stay the night if I asked you."

"I'm not a heartless bitch Shikamaru. I know it was a blizzard out last night and it would have been dangerous for him to drive all the way home in it." She sent a look Kiba's way. "I wouldn't have objected."

"Really?" Kiba raised an eyebrow at her.

Blue eyes narrowed in his direction. "No."

"Then why are you so fucking pissed at me?"

"Because neither of you thought to call me and let me know! You both just presumed I would have been a bitch and say no!" She stood up from the table and glared down at them both as though they were two naughty little children who got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "I would think you know me better than that Shikamaru." With that said she spun on her heel and walked into the living room. After a few seconds they heard the television click on and the familiar sound of the news declaring that the weather crisis was over and the storm didn't even come close to hitting blizzard level.

Kiba snorted into his cup of coffee. "Why aren't I surprise? They always fucking over react and make everyone freak out." He tried to break the awkward silence and tension that had built.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at his friend as he stood up from the table and began clearing the used dishes and cups. "I may be wrong…but weren't you the one complaining and concerned last night?"

"Why are you clearing the table?"

The pineapple haired guard shrugged. "Because Ino always does it."

"Right…well work hasn't been cancelled." Kiba stood up and picked up the remainder of the dishes and cups. "What time are you going in? I kind of want to clean my car before my shift starts you know?"

Shikamaru turned and made his way over to the back door and opened it, revealing their outer wear hanging in the back section. "I'm not going in today. You can take my car if you want. I'll take Ino's." He stated, slipping on his boots and lacing them up.

Kiba cocked an eyebrow at him as he followed his friends and pulled on his boots. "What? Where are you going?" He thought for a moment before a stupid grin broke out on his face. "You're not! Are you man?"

"I'm not what?"

The tattooed guard looked around to make sure Ino was nowhere in sight before he leaned forward and whispered. "You're going to ask for her hand in marriage aren't you?"

Shikamaru ignored his friend in favor of putting on his jacket and tossing Kiba's at his head.

"Don't ignore me-you are aren't you? It's perfect!" He whispered excitedly before he really began thinking. "But that'd be stupid…she's angry right now…" A frown found its way onto his face. "Which means you aren't setting up the engagement…you're going to talk to her father!" Surprise and realization appeared on his face.

Shikamaru sighed and nodded, having already dressed for the cold outside. "Yes now shut up."

Kiba eyed his friends clothing, taking in his guarding uniform and jacket. "Don't you think…you should dress better?" He raised a disapproving eyebrow at him. "I think you should wait. I mean she is awfully upset in there."

The pineapple haired guard looked back inside before opening the outside door and grunting as the cold wind hit him. "She's not really upset…slightly disappointed and worried. But that's how women are. Besides today is the perfect day to ask." He looked up into the sky. "Her parents loved the snow."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shikamaru let out a puff of breath, watching as the cold air clouded around his face before dispersing. Slowly, he walked up to two statue marked graves and stopped before them, taking in the large stone in front of him. Carved into it was a long, intricate vine surrounding the family name and then the dates they were both born and then died. He worked his jaw for a second, thinking over how to begin before finally relenting and just dove right in. "Greetings Mr. and Mrs. Yamanaka." He bowed deeply then stood back up, both hands in his pocket due to the freezing temperatures of the open cemetery. "My name is Nara Shikamaru and I have been dating your daughter, Yamanaka Ino for several years now. I'm not sure if she has told you about me or not…" He paused in his speech when a snowflake landed on the tip of his nose. He looked up into the white sky, squinting as more snow began to fall around him.

"Things have been going good between us." He continued on, his gaze now back to the graves in front of him. "I know I haven't visited much in the past…and I do wish I had come more often…but today, I am here to ask for your daughters hand in marriage." He bowed deeply and closed his eyes. "I will take very good care of Ino. I love her and am willing to die for her." He stood back up and swallowed thickly. "I know this must be very difficult for you two. We haven't exactly spent much time together as a family. But I assure you, this feels like the next natural step in our growing relationship and as time moves on, I will do everything I can to make Ino happy. I love her every bit as much as you two did…perhaps even more so." He paused for a moment and just stared at the snow covered grave marker, watching as more snow began to collect upon it. In a moment of not thinking, he reached forward and placed his hand on the statue. "I hope I have your blessing to marry your daughter. I plan to propose to her very soon and I will do it right here. So that you two can share the special moment. "

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

It would be brilliant if you liked this story and would check out the link in my profile.

Continue?

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	30. Chapter 30

L.

Congratulations to Secretly Insane; they had the more accurate guess as to how this story will end; albeit they weren't entirely right. Then again I reckon this wouldn't be a very interesting story if anyone could just figure out the ending right?

They have given me the task to write a romance story with Shino; and I have decided to take on this challenge. Hopefully I will succeed.

Light after Dark

Chapter 30

A man dressed in a jet black suit stood in the shadows of his office as another man walked in and shut the door behind him; blocking out the midday light. Pein glared daggers at the man standing in front of him. "You." He spat the word, as though his mouth was dripping with poison. "Get me on the next fucking plan back to Japan." He slowly stepped out of the shadows and walked up to the man who merely stared over his boss' shoulder without flinching. "And get me an alias while you're at it." His voice was low and venomous. "Charter a plane for when I come back. And make sure no one books it." With that said he turned away from his subordinate in disgust.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Briskly, Naruto sat back down opposite Sakura and began to eat his lunch with fake vigor, trying to prove that nothing was wrong. Energetically, he shoved several warm dumplings into his mouth and chewed slowly, regretting the amount he shoved in.

"You okay?" The pinkett opposite him asked gently, sipping her coffee.

Hastily, the blonde nodded and swallowed the mouthful before gulping down the remainder of his coffee. "Yes!" He spat out, gasping for air. "Haha…probably shouldn't have eaten so much so fast." He laughed mirthlessly. "Anyways…how are you?" He dropped the pointless happy façade and switched to seriousness.

Sakura dropped her gaze to her hands and twiddled her thumbs. "Fine…but about that guy-"

"You're still seeing him?" Naruto cut her off.

Emerald eyes darted up to him in panic. "No-am I okay? What's going on? Who is he? Why did he just disappear?"

The baby blue eyed male sighed and placed a warm hand on top of hers. "Sakura you and I are going to go on a little trip this evening okay?" He dodged her questions. "Oh I should probably call Sasuke." He mumbled and pulled out his cell phone, his fingers scaling over the numbers easily. After a few rings he picked up. _"Hello?"_

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked warily.

"_Who else would answer?"_ Sasuke asked, marveling at his friend's stupidity. "_What do you want? I told you there are police around." _

"I know but-hey…so remember when you…advised that I call…THAT person?" He asked slyly, as he nervously glanced across at Sakura whose head was tilted to the side in mild interest at his conversation.

"_Yeah?" _

"Well I did…and they said to be there at four O'clock this evening." Emerald eyes darted up to his face at this but he smiled charmingly at her. "I was thinking you should come with us."

Sasuke sighed into the phone. "_That means that I have to fucking turn around! I drove all this way for nothing!" _

Blonde eyebrows drew together in confusion. "…Do you want money for gas or something?"

"_Don't patronize me." _

"Alright?" He answered questioningly.

"_Should I pick up Sempai or something?" _

"I wouldn't…"

"_Alright…" _The screeching of tires followed by several choiced words echoed through the phone. _"Guess I'll meet you at the hospital?" _

"It won't take long to reach there. I think we're going to finish up our easy lunch then head down. So you know…you have time to kill…by the way what was all that noise?" Naruto looked around him in suspicion for a second. "You didn't hit anyone…did you?"

"…_I fucking hate you."_ Sasuke promptly hung up.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sasuke screeched to a halt in front of Kakashi's house and all but bolted from his car to the front door, cursing when his feet nearly gave out. "Fucking snow! I hate you!" He glared down at the innocent white snow surrounding him as he banged on the front door, cursing every last bit of white that caught his eye.

"Nice to see you to." Kakashi greeted as he swung open his front door and almost got pushed down in the midnight blue haired man's haste to get inside and away from the offending snow.

"Yeah yeah real pleasure. I hate snow." He muttered, stripping off his jacket and boots as he made his way into the kitchen. "I want coffee. How about you?"

"Sure I'll take a cup of my own coffee." The silver haired male stated, closing the front door and avoiding the clumps of snow Sasuke brought in with him. After haphazardly cleaning up after the irritable man, he made his way into the surprisingly still clean kitchen and eased himself down onto a stool at the counter. "I take it you had a wonderful last couple of hours?" Kakashi disparaged.

Sasuke snorted and leaned his hip against the counter and crossed his arms, having already set up the coffee. "Yeah. I did actually. I found out that Itachi is actually my brother and Sakura really did lie to me for how many fucking years." He snarled. A quite, dangerous tension set in between the two men as the delicious scent of freshly perked coffee leaked into the air and settled around them. As soon as the percolator clicked off, Sasuke went about fixing two cups.

"You screwed everything up Sasuke. Again." Kakashi stated, watching as one finely fixed mug was set down in front of him.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Onyx eyes narrowed at the injured man over the rim of his mug.

"I mean," Kakashi enunciated the word 'mean' "That I need to go back to work-I can only image the pile of paper work sitting on my desk right now-and I was hesitant about leaving Sakura here alone, but then you two seemed to be hitting it off again so I was going to have you move in here and in essence "baby sit" her. But now you've gone and shot that horse in the head." The silver haired male sighed heavily and ran his good hand though his hair in exasperation, his eyes down casted into the mug.

The midnight blue haired man bit his lip to stop from retorting and instead, gulped down his hot coffee, effectively burning his tongue and the back of his throat.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Tsunade heaved a heavy, breathy sigh as she trudged up the cleared pathway up to the hospital, teetering slightly under the weight of the new bottle of Sake. Wordlessly, she burst through the front door, ignored the young nurse greeting her and giving her a much needed update and made her way to her office. Inside, she tossed off her winter coat, gently placed the bottle of Sake on her desk, and then spun around, looking for someone. "Hinata?" She bellowed after a few seconds, immediately the young, worried woman entered the room, her long lavender hair hanging in a greasy, messy curtain around her wrinkled, slept in nurses scrubs. "What's wrong with you?" Tsunade scowled down in disgust at the anxious woman.

Hinata swallowed thickly before tucking a tangled strand of hair behind one ear. "I slept here…Ma'am…to finish the scheduling…" Her voice was somnolent and choppy; fading in and out with unused.

"Oh." She muttered absently, pouring herself a rather large cup of alcohol. "Right…where's Shizune?"

The young, pale woman cleared her throat before answering. "I haven't seen her yet."

"Oh?" Tsunade raised an intimidating eyebrow at the woman. "She hasn't shown up has she?" She gulped down her glass. "Find me her number!"

The pale eyed young woman sniveled before cautiously walking over to the filing cabinet against the wall. "D-don't you have her number?"

"If I had it would I be asking for it? Honestly woman! Use your brain!"

After a few seconds of fretful searching, Tsunade cursed everyone to the seven hells and burst out of her office, leaving a hopelessly confused Hinata to follow in her wake. She barreled down a few random halls for a few minutes, before stopping at the end of one. Golden eyes narrowed as she caught sight of something up ahead. "You! You damned idiot! I thought I confined you to your room!" She glared daggers down the hall. Beside her Hinata bristled. "Milady? Who are you yelling at?"

Tsunade turned her wrath towards Hinata and glared. "Who? At that patient is who!" She pointed down the empty hall. "Him! What's-his-name-Sasori!"

At that outburst, Hinata paled and took a step away from her boss. "Yes…right…of course…" She whispered and placed a hand out against the wall to brace herself. "S-shall I go fetch a guard?"

"Of course you incompetent woman!"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

After killing about half an hour at Kakashi's, Sasuke left; albeit a bit worse for the wear. He heaved a heavy, stressed sigh as he sat down in the driver's seat and stuck the key in the ignition; before he could start the car though, he glanced to his side and looked down at the set of albums he brought with him. After a few seconds, a small, genuine smile broke out on his face before he started his car and pulled out onto the street then began the journey down to Kyoto's Insane Asylum.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

At quarter to four, Naruto and Sakura pulled up in front of the side door at the asylum to wait for Sasuke. They sat in an awkward silence for a bit before the pinkett cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably. "This is Kyoto's Mental Hospital…" She whispered despondently.

Baby blue eyes shifted uncomfortably and turned up the heat in the car. "Yup."

"This is where Kankurou and Temari's younger brother is."

"Yup."

"This hospital rejected me."

Naruto took a deep breath but nodded. "Yup."

"Why are we here?"

The spiky blonde chewed on his lower lip for a bit before shaking his head. "We are here…to see a lady…who has offered her services to you in light of a certain situation." He phrased carefully and delicately.

Emerald eyes blinked and she sat in silent suspension. "Oh." Was all she said then settled down to wait.

Five minutes passed by before a dark blue Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG pulled alongside the orange Lamborghini Gallardo. "Hey man." Naruto grinned and got out of his car to walk around and slap Sasuke on the back as soon as he stepped out of his car. "Glad you made it." Sasuke snorted but nodded and locked his door before glancing over at Sakura who was slowly easing herself out of the car.

"You seem good." Naruto looked Sasuke up and down, noting his calm, collected, polite demeanor. "Considering what you found out."

The onyx eyed man snorted. "I intend to track him down." He stated bluntly, leaning on the bonnet of his car and watching Sakura out of the corner of his eye as she daintily made her way over to the pathway, taking care to look for any ice patches.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean he's my brother."

"True."

"I was…shaken at first."

"I imagine you would be."

"But then I realized that this was what I wanted all along-to have that family connection with someone."

Just then the side door opened and Shizune stepped out. "Hey!" She whispered and glanced around. "Hurry up!"

Surprised, the three hurriedly made their way up to her and into the unusually cool building. After Shizune quietly locked back the door and reset the alarm, she directed them down a dimly lit narrow hallway to the back doctor's room. "This is only used in case of emergencies so please excuse the look." She gestured vaguely to the small, slightly disorganized room as she made her was inside and started turning on the lights. Unenthusiastically, the three wandered around the small space as Shizune rifled through the lone desk, pulling out papers and files and pens. "Okay." She smiled after a few minutes as she gathered her collected items in her arms. "I'll take Sakura into another room right over there-its sound proof so don't even bother trying to listen in-and you two make yourselves comfortable in here." With that said she took Sakura gently by the arm and led her into the adjoined room.

"So…" Naruto asked after a few silent moments after they settled down into the only two arm chairs available without removing any of their outwear. "Want to tell me how you plan on tracking down Itachi?"

Sasuke crossed one leg over the other. "Not really."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A woman with blonde hair tied in a low pony tail chewed the side of her cheek as she walked down the hallway to her brother's office, completely ignoring the frantic young woman prattling on beside her. "Miss Sabaku! Miss Sabaku please you don't have time to visit your brother right now! You have American phone calls to make in forty-five minutes not to mention the contracts you need to go over! Miss Sabaku!" She continued on until Temari walked into her brothers open office and shut the door behind her.

In front of her, behind a large semi circle oak desk sat Kankurou staring back at her with one eye brow raised, and a coffee mug in one hand raised in mid sip. "You realize that one day you just might physically hurt the poor girl right?" He scorned but motioned for her to have a seat on one of the leather sofas.

Temari sighed and sank down on the one farthest to the right. "I won't hurt her…" She thought for a moment before groaning. "Send her a gift certificate for something will you?"

Kankurou snorted into his coffee paging his secretary. "Hey Miss, send in a fifty dollar gift certificate in a while okay." He then turned his attention to his older sister lounging miserably on his sofa. "So what are you miserable about?"

She shrugged then sighed. "Sakura left this morning."

"Is that all? You realize she wasn't a lost puppy right?" Absently he swirled his coffee, watching as the mixture turned from a murky brown to a lighter brown with wisps of white.

"Very funny. But really she left."

"I believe you."

"She's gone to lunch with Naruto."

"And I really and truly care."

"Something's bothering me."

"Something's always bugging you Sis." He set down his mug and sighed.

"I get the feeling something is going to happen…something bad."

"Temari this is why you work in a corporation and not fortune telling." He stood up and walked around to sit on the coffee table in front of her. "Now please, drop this Sakura crap." He held up one hand to silence her protest. "I know you care about her-so do I. Really I do. But we have a business to run and worrying about something you don't know about or control won't help will it?"

Temari fixed her brother with a glare. "I, unlike you care about people!"

Kankurou nodded and closed his eyes in a tired, dreading sort of manner. "Yes yes you care about people, I'm a bastard. I know. But pray tell, what do you plan on doing then? With this gut feeling of yours?" He raised a challenging eyebrow at her.

That stumped his older sister; she sat up and adjusted her dress pants before frowning. "Alright. There isn't much I can do save for following her."

He nodded and tried to hide the mocking smile rising to his lips. "Yes and that would be considered stalking. Which I'm pretty sure, is illegal." He stood up and grinned. "Alright I know this is bugging you. How about we take an early lunch to get your mind off of her?"

"Like that will help." She muttered but stood up regardless.

"And later, after work we can go visit Kakashi and see how she's doing? To put your mind at rest."

"That's a much better idea."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kiba heaved a heavy, bored sigh as he tossed his identification card up into the air, and then caught it; moving about a great deal as he did so in a poor attempt to entertain himself.

"Don't do that please." A rather rotund guard moaned as he slouched across his desk, pushing the lone tray and half empty potato chip bag onto the ground.

The upside down triangle tattooed guard frowned and glanced over his shoulder to see the one patient locked down in the solitary confinement wing staring back at him. He let out an involuntary shudder at the sight of the patient but turned his attention back to Chouji. "What's wrong with you?" He placed his card back in his pocket.

"I don't feel good…I have a stomach ache…"

"I'm not surprised. Why don't you go get something to settle your stomach? I can watch him for you." He offered.

Chouji looked up at him with shinning eyes. "Really? Thanks Kiba!" And then he was up and out of the wing as though someone stole his chips and was using them to fend off ants.

About two minutes later he burst back into the hall completely terrified and sweaty.. "Holy Shit Kiba! You won't believe what I just saw!" He breathed out before collapsing on the ground, holding his side in pain.

Kiba frowned down at his fellow guard. "What?"

"Investigators and cops!" He spat out in between gasps/

"What?" Mild surprise was written all over the Kiba's face. "Really? So soon?"

"Soon? You knew about this?"

"Well-but really investigators?"

"And I think I saw the representative's for Hiroshima's Mental Hospital too!"

"You're lying."

"No! Really! Something's up man…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Pein stepped off of the plane and onto Japanese soil; his dark eyes glanced around apprehensively as he tugged the black scarf he tied loosely around his neck higher up to hide the lower half of his face. "Han? Han Sato?" A young, American man addressed him. "Good day Sir! Please excuse my lack of common curtsey this is my first day today and I have yet to become accustom to the honorifics." He laughed warmly. "May I help you with your bags?"

Pein remained completely unfazed and shook his head. "No thank you I have none. Were you sent by the hotel?"

"Yes. Yes I was. I suppose I will only be driving you there now?"

"No." Pein stepped off to the side, away from the large crowd forming and pulled out his cell phone to check something. "We will be picking up someone before we go to the hotel. I trust you have been told about this previously?"

The young man's smile faltered for a second before he nodded and turned around to gesture to the building. "Yes. Of course. Shall we get a move on then?" He raised an eyebrow at Han Sato and smiled when he nodded. "Fantastic! May I ask aloud if this 'someone' just might be a lady friend?"

Pein paused for a moment before following the young American to the building. "Yes. She is…in fact she is my girl friend."

"Ah! Wonderful! How nice-what a lovely lady she must be!" He blathered on and on, happily indulging himself in Han Sato's love life.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

Reviews would be lovely.

Please check out the link in my profile.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	31. Chapter 31

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 31

Pein cast a careful eye over his shoulder at the American driver before knocking on the front door. He waited a few seconds before the front door swung open to reveal Konan, dressed in black skinny jeans, a cream hand knitted cardigan and snow boots. "Pein?" Her blue eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "What are you-come in!" She suddenly stepped aside and opened the door wider. Immediately, Pein stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

His critical eye scanned the empty foyer for a few seconds before he unwound the scarf around his neck and stepped up to the staircase. "Konan, get everyone in the limo." He ordered.

Konan's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Limo?" She repeated staring at the serious man in front of her.

Pein began to walk up the stairs, leaving a wet snow trail in his wake. "I'll get all the important documents-don't forget money."

"Pein what's going on?" She called after him, looking around.

"And clothing. Hurry Konan! We don't have time to waste!" He snapped, beginning to jog up the flights of stairs.

The blue haired woman sighed in hopelessness before taking a deep breath. "EVERYONE GET YOUR ASS UP AND READY! GRAB WHATEVER YOU CAN IN THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES AND MEET IN THE FOYER! I REPEAT: GATHER YOUR IMPORTANT BELONGINGS AND MEET IN THE FOYER!" With that announced, she darted up the stairs after Pein.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Hidan's voice met her on the second floor. "Konan!" He called, leaning out of a room. "What the hell's going on?"

She ignored him in favor of running down the empty hall to the private study where she knew Pein to be. "You heard me-get your things and wait near the door!" Was all she said before entering the study. There she found Pein stuffing every last document into several briefcases along with a duffle bag filled with the various items hidden in the wall safe. "Pein?"

"Konan!" He didn't stop packing. "I told you get your things. And don't call me Pein-I'm Han Sato." He tossed several boxes from the case into the duffle bag. "And you're Aya Suzuki. Don't slip up. Go pack Aya."

Without missing a beat, Konan ran out of the room and around the corner to her master bedroom where she went immediately to her closet, reached up to the top shelf to pull down a pre-packed carryon bag. She then tossed that on her king sized, sea foam blue decorated bed and dropped to her knees to pull out a smaller bag filled to the brim with money. After tossing that on her bed she grabbed her large, black purse, jacket, hat, scarf, gloves and one other black briefcase filled with money she had tucked away behind her dresser. "That should be everything…" Her surveying eyes scanned the room one last time as she threw on the long black jacket, tucked her short blue hair up onto her head and placed the matching black hat on, grabbed everything else and carted them into the hall.

"Aya." Pein's low voice caught her attention as he approached her, the duffle bag strapped on one shoulder and the three briefcases balancing atop one another in his hands. "Have you got everything?"

Konan scowled and tied the black scarf around her neck and tucked the gloves into her coat pocket. "Yes…Han…would you now like to tell me what's going on?" Her tone was exasperated but urgent.

Pein grabbed her shoulder carryon and began to walk towards the stairs, leaving her to carry her purse, the smaller bag, and brief case. "We're relocating. The governments been intercepting-we're going to London." Was all he answered, motioning for her to come and take one of the briefcases.

All around them were the sounds of the many members of the organization running around, grabbing things and packing them away. Every few seconds someone would let out a curse, a small verbal fight would break out but end quickly when they realize time was running out.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Deidara scuffled the flooring with his boots just as Pein came down the stairs to stop on the last landing and dropped the two bags. He then looked down at the members mulling about the foyer, putting on their coats and hats and questioning one another for information.

"Why'd we have to pack? What's going on?" Deidara voiced everyone's question as he buttoned up his winter jacket and picked up his fallen gloves.

"Excellent question." Pein spoke, his voice low but full of authority. "Listen and listen carefully everybody." He cast a critical eye around just as Konan came down behind him and stood at his side. "We are relocating to London. I have set up a charted plane, only us here will be on it. But nevertheless you are not to use your names. Create an alias-A viable one. I am Han Sato. Konan is Aya Suzuki." His cold eyes bore down on them. "As soon as we leave this house you are to address us as such. I will let you know when you can resume using your normal names. Do not slip up."

"I call the last name Tanaka." Deidara stated, leaning against the banister.

"First name?" Konan asked, stepping down the stairs.

He thought for a few seconds before grinning. "Akihito."

"If blondie gets to be Akihito Tanaka I want Daichi Yamamoto." Hidan stepped forward away from his suitcase to mock Deidara.

A young member wearing an orange swirling mask jumped up and down, successfully pissing Hidan off and yelled. "Tobi likes Haruyuki Saitou!"

"I'm Riki Nakamoura." Kisame offered, munching on what appeared to be a dumpling.

"Alright." Konan nodded then stared at Itachi who stood impassively off to the back sipping a cup of coffee. "Itachi?" The man in question ignored her in favor of rubbing his arm. "Fine smartass your Ritsuki Takahashi. Remember it."

Pein cleared his throat, silencing all of the soft side conversations that sprung up. "Alright everybody, remember your names but most importantly, remember not to use your actual names. Outside I have a limo waiting with an American man. He thinks me to be Han Sato. Which from now on, I am." He then turned to look down at Konan who stood near the bottom of the stair case beside Deidara. "Aya is my girlfriend. All of you are our friends who are going to England to spend the winter season at my house. We haven't been together for years, this is a bit of a reunion. Therefore we are all very happy. You all work for a television company doing various menial tasks. " His eyes narrowed on Tobi who was bopping around happily. "Haruyuki!" He tested. It took Tobi a few seconds, but he stopped and turned. "Yes Han Sato?"

"…Good enough." He bent down to retrieve the luggage. "Everyone understand?"

A collective 'Yes Sir' answered back.

"Alright open the door and let's go."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Hinata ran down the hall in a blind panic, literally bumping into guards, tripping over her own feet, and catching her shoulders around the corner. Eventually, her haste led her to the lobby where she spotted Kiba leaning casually against the empty nurse's station fixing himself a cup of coffee. "Kiba!" Her voice was high pitched and filled with terror, effectively starting him.

The young, tattooed guard turned to face her, mid stir. "Hinata?" He raised an eyebrow at her as she darted up to him and grabbed his arms; successfully invading his personal bubble. "Hina-what's wrong?" He tried to pull his arm s out of her grasp but gave up, realizing that she was in full panic mode.

Hinata panted, trying to catch her breath before she spoke. "Kiba! Miss Tsunade is seeing people!"

He raised an eyebrow at her and nodded slowly as though he were listening to a child. "I hope she's seeing people…otherwise she'd be blind."

"I mean dead people!" Her fingers shook and dug though the long sleeved shirt he was wearing to lodge themselves into his flesh.

That caught his attention. "What? Explain!" He forgot about his coffee and turned his complete attention to the sweating, frightened, stuttering woman in front of him.

"Sasori-she's seeing Sasori and yelling at him!"

Both his eyebrows shot up at this and he grabbed her upper arm and yanked her into the nurses' station behind the counter. "Are you sure about this Hinata?" He asked calmly. "He is dead."

She breathed deeply and ran both her hands though her long, tangled hair in an attempt to bring down her heart rate. "Yes-yes I'm positive. I was with her."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A white Volvo 2012 came to a complete stop at a red light on a deserted road, the driver of the car rolled down his window before searching in his pockets to pull out a carton of cigarettes. After locating his lighter, he stuck one cigarette between his lips and lit it, inhaling deeply then sighing in relief as the smoke filed out through his nose and out the driver's window. Shikamaru then glanced up at the hanging light to see it glowing green and eased back on the gas. As he drove, he let his mind wander. '…Maybe I should propose to Ino today? Nah…better do it later this week when things calm down…' He puffed another breath. 'Yeah…before the weeks over I'll ask for her hand in marriage.' At that thought, his cell phone went off. With a sigh, he groped his pockets till he found the blaring devise and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Hey Shikamaru! I know your busy man but you have to get your ass here now!" _

"Why?" He slowly pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in neutral.

"_Because Tsunade's fucking lost her mind!" _

"What else is new Kiba?"

"_I mean she's seeing dead people!" _

That caught the guard's attention. "Seeing dead people?" He repeated.

"_Yeah! Apparently she's seeing Sasori! The patient that died here. Remember him?"_

The pineapple haired man sighed and ran a hand though his hair until it fell onto the back of his neck. "Yeah, of course…I'm on my way." He mumbled but didn't yet hang up, hoping that it was some sort of trick and Kiba would burst out laughing at any second.

"_Thanks…sorry for ruining your uh…special day with her parent's man…really I am." _

Shikamaru nodded and slowly shifted the gear stick from neutral into drive. "It's okay, not your fault right? And I was finished anyway."

"_Alright, see you in a bit then." _

"Yeah."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sakura sat in a too-soft chair frowning in concentration as she tried to hear what Shizune was saying in the other room. The older woman had asked her a series of questions on various topics including her past, present, future, emotional range and what she thought was just random questions. The pinkett's frown deepened into a scowl as she thought about the 'session' and tried to figure out what Shizune's aim was, having not recognized and of the woman's psychological techniques.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shizune sat behind the desk and looked sadly up at the two young men sitting uncomfortably in front of her. They looked stressed, worried, impatient and fearful. She chewed her lower lip and arranged the papers on her desk before finally taking a deep, collective breath. "I'm sorry…" She shook her head. "In my opinion…from the short tests I have conducted…Sakura is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, some sort of Dissociative Disorder, and I want to say she has a chronic over-trusting problem."

Sasuke frowned and tilted his head to the side. "Dissociative?"

Shizune nodded empathically. "I asked her some general questions about her childhood-simple things like her mother's name, where she grew up, what her name means and she didn't know. Then I asked how old she was and she couldn't answer….she had no idea…" She hung her head. "Those are signs of Dissociative."

Naruto nodded and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "Over trusting? What does that mean?"

Beside him Sasuke sighed. "What do you think it means idiot?" He snapped.

Baby blue eyes glared. "Shut up and let her answer."

"It means she trusts almost any and everybody-put simply she's too nice…she believes the best in people even when there's no logical reason to." Shizune answered without looking up.

"And how's that bad? What's wrong with trying to see the good in everyone?" Naruto sat up straight in his chair.

Onyx eyes rolled in annoyance. "Even if the trust thing isn't a problem-did you miss the first two? Even if you cross one off the list there are the first two to worry about." He scoffed.

"Alright," Naruto ran his hands though his hair and hung his head in exasperation. "What do we do now?"

"Who are you asking?" Sasuke bit back.

"You-her, anyone! Just toss ideas out here please."

A tense silence fell upon the trio, each lost in their own thoughts. Naruto shifted in the chair and shook his leg in an irritating manor while Sasuke chewed on the edge of his thumb, glaring holes into Shizune's desk. Shizune herself kept tapping a pen on the stack of papers and kept glancing down at a tiny clock atop the desk. Suddenly, she pulled out her cell phone to check something, pulling the two young men out of their thoughts. "I don't think you two should stay here." She stood up and peaked out of a cloth covered window. "Things are going to get…rough very soon."

"What do you mean?" Blue eyes followed her and she began to pace the small office.

She sighed and rolled her neck while resisting the urge to toe off her high heels. "I reported this hospital, and the proper authorities are here doing an inspection. Soon they will locate Tsunade and interview her, then me. I imagine they are currently pulling guards and nurses aside and questioning them. No doubt this hospital will immediately be shut down; they may even break the rules and shut it down by the end of the day."

Dark eyebrows rose. "Can they do that?"

"Well…yes. Hiroshima has already said they are willing to take in any patients. In fact they sent a representative here along with the detective."

"So you're kicking us out?" Naruto stood up.

"No, I'm only saying it's best if you three aren't here when they start interviewing people."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Hinata sat in one of the swirly, hard backed chairs in the nurses' station sipping a soothing cup of tea while Kiba paced in front of her. After a few minutes, Hinata decided to break the silence. "Why are you up here anyway?" She asked curiously.

Kiba didn't stop his pacing. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you're stationed down in the solitary wing right? At one of the elevator posts today."

"Oh." He stopped and scratched his chin. "Yeah I am-but I heard that there cops here today…and some representative's from Hiroshima's hospital."

"Really?"

"You haven't seen anyone?"

Hinata thought hard before answering. "Well…maybe…but to be honest I was busy with Milady…why don't you check the log in sheet? If anyone's here they would have to sign in right?"

Kiba dove over the counter and grabbed the clipboards. "Your right! Why didn't I think of that?" He muttered, flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for. Silently, he read over the names, throwing his mind back to try and remember their faces. "Yeah…yeah Hinata they're here…Kabuto Yakushi-representative of Hiroshima, Baki…says he's the detective…then there's just two people; Haku and Zabuza. Probably the police." He turned to look at her. She sat there, tea in hand staring at him with a worried look on her face. "What's going on Kiba?" She whispered, her pale eyes open and begging him for some sane answers.

The young guard sighed, tossed the clipboard back onto the counter and rolled his neck. "This hospital…is most likely under a huge investigation. Someone reported Tsunade; if this hospital is to be shut down, obviously the remaining patients will need to be transferred somewhere…looks like Hiroshima has space and is willing."

Hinata nodded and rubbed the back of her neck, letting the new information sink in. "And us? What will happen to us?"

He heaved a heavy sigh. "We look for new jobs." Was all he muttered.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

If you don't leave a review with your thoughts, I won't know what you think.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	32. Chapter 32

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 32

Sakura sat in the uncomfortable chair nibbling the side of her thumb, tapping her foot in agitation. Every few seconds she would glance at the door behind her in hopes that it would open. "What's taking so long?" She muttered and moved to get up just as the door swung open.

"Sakura, you can come out now." Shizune was already walking away from the now open door.

Quickly, as though the room had come alive and threatened to eat her, Sakura ran out of the room only to stop in front of Naruto. He stood behind one of the chairs staring down at his feet in concentration; his shoulders were slumped and he seemed none-too-happy with something. "Naru Naru?" Her voice was clipped, but concerned.

"Let's go Sakura." Sasuke was already at the other door with Shizune.

"Yes, do hurry." Shizune anxiously glanced at her watch and all but set up a glowing sign above the door screaming 'exit'.

"Really? You all bring me here, have me examined, kept me in that room for like twenty minutes and now your kicking me out?" Emerald eyes glared around at everyone. "What the hell is going on?"

Sasuke sighed and strode forward, grabbed her arm and yanked her through the door Shizune opened. "We have no time for this right now Sakura!" He growled under his breath. "Don't bother struggling." He hissed as she began to claw at his hands and grind her boots into the white flooring.

"Don't tell me what to fucking do!" She shrieked.

"Shut up!" Sasuke yanked on her arm which only caused her to yelp in pain.

"STOP PULLING ME!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"SHUT HER UP!" Shizune's voice echoed down the hall, canceling out their squabbling.

The onyx eyed male rolled his eyes but stopped and clamped his other hand over Sakura's screaming mouth. She struggled against him, but he only shoved her into the nearest wall and held her there.

"Sakura! What the fuck man?" Naruto asked as he ran up to them only to have Shizune pull him back.

"Stop it! You all are making a scene!" She cast a worried eye down the empty hall, hoping that no one would come to investigate it. "Sakura you need to kindly shut your trap!" She turned her attention back to the struggling pinkett. "Just go peacefully with your friends alright?"

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall; all eyes turned to look but only saw the impending shadows of several men making their way down the connecting hallway to where they stood. "Shit!" Shizune cursed.

"WHOEVER YOU ARE DO NOT MOVE!" A booming voice directed them.

All four of them froze in fear.

"Go go go!" Shizune grabbed Naruto and tried to push him back down the hall into the room again.

"I SAID DO NOT MOVE!"

They both froze and listened to the sound of his shoes clicking until he stopped several feet from them. He cast a curious but calculating eye over all of them, pausing at Sasuke who still held Sakura up against the wall with one hand over her mouth. After several long seconds, Shizune removed her hands from Naruto and straightened out her dress jacket and smoothed out the wrinkles in her knee length black skirt. She then cleared her throat and swallowed. "Sasuke I think you should release Sakura…now." Her voice was sharp and slightly pleading.

Sasuke locked eyes with the pinkett for a brief second and sent her a warning look before slowly releasing her.

The man directed his attention to Shizune but kept Sakura and Sasuke in his line of sight "Who are you?"He asked, his voice gruff and demanding.

Shizune took a deep, calming breath in an attempt to stop her heart from pounding. "I am Shizune."

He nodded. "What do you do? Do you work here?"

"Yes. I am Lady Tsunade's assistant."

That caught his attention. "Excellent. I am Baki, the investigator." Shizune nodded and smiled while taking him in. He was a tall, strong man with half of his face covered; he wore a black suit with a black shirt and dress shoes. "The men behind me are the officers. And straggling behind somewhere is the representative of Hiroshima." He glanced sideways at the pink haired woman shifting uncomfortably. "Who are you?"

Sakura looked up at him in alarm and bit her lower lip. "I am Sakura…I don't work here…" She added pathetically.

Baki scowled and then looked at the two men standing awkwardly in front of him. "You two?"

"Naruto."

"Sasuke."

"We don't work here either." The baby blue eyed male offered.

"Then state your business."

Sakura slowly edged her way back against the wall while Sasuke suddenly found the ceiling to be extremely interesting. Naruto sighed, and took a step forward. "We were…visiting someone we know in here." He quickly lied and mentally patted himself on the back.

Baki raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh? Then what was all that…noise about?"

A light sweat broke out on the poor blonde's forehead as he tried to think up another lie. "Oh that…well you see Sakura here had a mild panic attack or something cause…her brother made her-he freaked her out because it's been awhile since she last saw him."

A tense silence settled between them group.

Baki stared down at Naruto.

Sasuke stared at the ceiling.

Sakura kept looking at anywhere except Naruto.

"Her brother?" Baki finally broke the silence and turned to the pinkett currently staring at his shoulder. "Your brother?"

Pink hair flew all around as she hastily nodded.

"What's his name?"

"His name is-" Naruto tried to answer.

"I'm asking the girl."

Sakura gnawed on the side of her thumb as she tried to think up a name. "Sasori!" She blurted out.

Baki blinked at her, and then checked a list on the clipboard no one realized he was holding. He ran his forefinger down the list, his face growing hard as he went. He then glanced up at Naruto standing in front of him and double check the list before sighing, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead. "You know, I'm only doing my job here. I'm not doing this because I have something against you people-I don't. I don't know any of you." He shifted his weight and rolled his shoulder to work out a kink. "I'm trying to be nice. I'm trying to just gather what I need without bothering much people. But do you all offer me the same curtsey? No. You blatantly lie to me." He turned to face Sakura who now cowered against the wall and looked as though she were mentally begging it to swallow her whole. "You lied to me. There isn't any patient or worker named Sasori here."

Emerald eyes opened wide at being caught red handed, a heavy blush broke out across her face as she stared back at him, mouth slightly agape.

"So. I will ask one more time and I want you." He stared down at Sakura. "To tell me the truth. What are you three doing here?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Kiba nearly leapt over the counter in joy at the sight of Shikamaru walking in through the front doors covered in bits of snow. "Shikamaru!" He grinned and waved him over. "Holy shit man you won't believe the shit that's going on in here!"

The pineapple haired guard scowled and walked over to the counter where his friend was bobbing up and down. "Then tell me so I'll believe it." He drawled, already sick of the drama.

"Well someone" He stressed the word 'someone'. "Called in and reported the hospital! Right now there's an investigator and two police officers in here-and Hiroshima sent a representative!" He whispered conspiringly. "The shits hitting the fan!"

Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "How do you know?"

"Here!" Kiba pulled out the sign in log and slapped it down on the counter for him to read.

The tired guard scanned the names and sighed. "Time to look for a new job…" He muttered under his breath but Kiba snorted anyways. "Thought you were already out on the job hunt?"

"Not really, was thinking about it but I didn't actually send out any resumes." Shikamaru leaned against the counter and waved at Hinata who still sat on the chair behind the counter.

"Guess we're all stuck in the same goddamn boat huh?" The tattooed guard heaved a sigh and slumped over the countertop.

"Would appear that way…" He scratched the side of his cheek. "So what am I here for again? This was nothing you couldn't tell me over the phone."

Kiba snorted. "I thought you would like to be here when all hell breaks loose of great buddy of mine."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Oh would I?" He derided.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Baki scowled as he walked behind the four questionable people now walking down the hallway and being led into a secure room by the two officers. The two officers stopped at the double door break slash panic room for the workers. The one named Haku opened one side of the door and held it open for them while Zabuza ushered them inside. "Alright. The three of you in there and you Shizune, come with me. Zabuza and Haku watch them." He motioned for the stressed woman to follow him further down the hallway until they came face to face with a wide span of glass. "I will like to ask you some questions Shizune." He spoke quietly so his voice wouldn't travel down the hallway.

The woman in question shifted uncomfortably and swallowed the bile rising in her throat before nodding. "Alright. Go ahead, ask anything you like." She whispered.

He turned to face her and studied her, noting her pale face, and the light sweat that broke out. "If you did nothing wrong you have nothing to fear." He stated suddenly, making her jump. "Have you anything to fear?"

She breathed deeply before shaking her head. "No. I have nothing to fear."

"Good." He smiled, which only furthered her pulse rate. "Let's go to the cafeteria shall we? I need a cup of coffee and you can relate to me your working experience with Tsunade. By the way you will be recorded."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Haruyuki Saitou is hungry!" Tobi whined loudly in the limo, earning a laugh from the American driver. "Haruyuki Saitou wants food!"

Konan sighed and rubbed her temples with her thumb and forefinger. "T-Haruyuki stop that!" She hissed. "Stop saying your last name!"

Tobi looked across at her with tears brimming in his lone visible eye. "S…sorry Aya…" He whispered dejectedly and clutched his stomach. "But Haruyuki is hungry…"

"I can stop off somewhere before we go to the hotel." The driver offered.

Pein sighed and looked around at the hungry faces surrounding him. "Didn't you all eat?"

"No." They all answered at once. Konan shifted in her seat where she sat squished against Pein and Itachi. "We hadn't eaten lunch yet-I was going to start to make something when you arrived." She whispered to him.

"Alright. You." He addressed the driver. "Take us to the hotel then pick us up something to eat. Like pasta or something…I prefer pasta."

"You want me to drop you all off at the hotel…then go get you all something to eat and bring it back to the hotel?" He asked dubiously.

Pein cleared his throat and looked out the window. "Yes. Make it pasta." With those last words, the conversation ended.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

Hinata sighed and twirled on the chair she sat on, watching Shikamaru and Kiba talking at the counter. Dejectedly, she ran her fingers though her long, lavender hair.

"Do you think they will come and interview us?" Her soft voice caught their attention.

"Interview us?" Kiba repeated.

"Yeah…us…since we work here…"

A blank look came across the tattooed guards face as he thought it over. "I don't want to be interviewed…I just want a job…" He whimpered.

"It's our duty isn't it? To be honest if we are interviewed?" Hinata stood up and walked over to the counter and leaned on her elbows.

"Yes it is Hinata." Shikamaru glared at his friend. "If we are, do not lie. But do not exaggerate either." He kept his eyes focused on the other guard who suddenly found the scattered pens to be incredibly fascinating. "Tell it as it is and try and answer all questions to the best of your ability."

Kiba groaned and buried his hands in his hair. "Alright! I get I get it! Don't lie be honest!"

"Yes." The pineapple haired guard drummed his fingers along the counter top in mild annoyance. "Listen to me Kiba, the police are no one to be messed with. One you are arrested-you are arrested. They do not fuck around."

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Hinata nod and close her eyes. "Someone should probably tell Chouji…he's down in the solitary confinement wing." She whispered and cupped her face with both of her hands. "Oh this is turning out to be the worst day!"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"So let's start with how Tsunade treats you."

Shizune tucked a strand of hair behind one ear. "To be honest she's…she delegates down to me just about everything."

"Explain."

"I have to be in an hour before her, I have to fill out most if not all the paper work and have her just sign off on them, lately I've been taking her appointments with her patients even though I'm not qualified to…" She glanced up at him, wondering if that will be used against her.

Baki looked around at the stark white walls and the gleaming flooring staring up at him. "So she neglects her work and has you do it eve n though you aren't qualified to…do you get financial compensation for this?"

"No. Not at all."

"What about other means of payment?"

"What?" A light blush spread across her face. "Oh Gods no!" She adverted her eyes at the insinuation.

A small smile crossed his face at her reaction but he quickly returned to his serious demeanor. "Okay. Now I've searched her office and found several bottles of Sake. Empty bottles. Do you know about this?"

Shizune breathed deeply in an attempt to rid the knots in her stomach. "She is an alcoholic…she drinks all the time."

They were now down the hallway that led to the cafeteria. "Ah…so you know about this. Does she drink during work hours?"

"Yes."

"I've been around most of this building and have not spotted Tsunade once. Where might she be? Do you know?" They stopped in front of the double doors and Baki looked down at her.

"No…I'm sorry."

"Don't be it isn't your job to baby sit her." He bristled as he opened the door then motioned for her to enter first. "Though it is strange that the woman in charge is nowhere to be found."

Shizune sighed and nodded then made her way over to the coffee machines. "Here's the coffee. Would you like me to make you a cup?"

"No thank you I can make it myself." He picked up a disposable cup.

"Okay. What about something to eat?" She moved over to the kitchen. "They have croissants, bagels…cupcakes?"

"Sure…a bit of everything."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

A young man with silver hair tied at the nape of his neck, wearing glasses, a black suit and a dark blue button down shirt and black dress shoes strolled idly down the hallways with a smirk on his lips. Absently he ran his finger tips against the white wall; he walked down several hallways in silence until he heard several voices murmuring from the main lobby. He stopped before entering and plastered himself against the wall to listen to what they were saying.

"How long do you think till they start looking for the employees?" A man asked.

"Probably after they find Tsunade." Another man answered.

"Yeah, knowing her she's hiding somewhere." The first man spoke.

"All this worrying is making me feel sick." A woman spoke wearily.

"Why don't you go get some more tea? I'll go with you." The second man offered.

"Oh that would be great." The woman sounded relived. "I'm not sure I can make it all the way to the cafeteria by myself."

"Yeah…I'm getting kinda hungry anyways."

"So you two are leaving me to inform Chouji?" The first man asked.

"Well…use the walkie talkies!" The second man laughed nervously before walking away with the woman.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"OH MY!" Dark eyes opened wide as she stared at Tsunade who just walked into the cafeteria looking highly annoyed. "Tsunade!" Shizune pointed towards the coffee machine. "That's her there." She pointed at Tsunade who was currently stirring her coffee; her long blonde hair was loose and she was wearing a low cut dark green blouse and black pants.

Baki turned his head and looked at the busty blonde woman scowling down at the coffee. "That's Tsunade?" He raised an eyebrow and stood up. "Alright thank you for your cooperation Shizune. Please do not leave early." With that said, he drank the remainder of his coffee before strolling over to the lady in charge.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

L.

Please leave a review with your thoughts.

Continue?

All constructive and unconstructive criticism welcome.


	33. Chapter 33

L.

Greetings, excuse my arresting situation in this chapter; I'm not completely familiar with the Japanese law and it's quite difficult to interpret from the outside.

Light after Dark

Chapter 33

Baki approached the oblivious blonde woman and cleared his throat to gain her attention. "Hello, my name is Baki I am an investigator, are you Tsunade?" He asked politely but with a hint of aggression in his voice.

The woman in question turned to face him, her golden eyes narrowed in suspicion and the coffee in her hand forgotten. "Yes I am. Investigator?"

"Yes. I need to speak with you." He motioned to the doorway. "Perhaps your office?"

Tsunade ignored his gesture and placed on hand on her hip with her eyebrows drawn together. "What are you investigating? Why was I not informed?"

"You have been reported-you yourself not the hospital." Baki stated simply, forsaking any notions of taking this into a private setting.

Tsunade frowned as Baki's words begin to sink into her brain. "Someone reported me? For what?"

"For neglect. To your patients."

"I have neglected no one!" She glared at the man in front of her before sighing and glancing around but not really seeing. "Look Sir I think this is just one big misunderstanding so why don't we go back to my office. I think we can agree on a price that suits both of us yes?" She winked and wiggled a suggestive eyebrow at him.

Baki only stared down at Tsunade without any expression on his face. "Ma'am, are you trying to bribe me?"

"I wouldn't say bribe…it's such a…misunderstanding sort of word."

"Ma'am I'm going to have to add attempt at bribery to the list."

Golden eyes hardened once again. "I did nothing wrong!" She bellowed. "I have proof to dispute that fact. Also, I have reason to believe abuse to your workers should be added to the list but I will also speak with some of the other employees before confirming that." He reached to his hip and withdrew a pair of handcuffs. "I am taking you in for negligence against the patients, workers and bribery of the law."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sakura groaned and threw herself on one of the two couches pushed against the far wall. She remained in the prone position for several seconds before rolling over onto her back and angrily pushing her tangled pink hair out of her face. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke lean up against the small counter and Naruto begin to pace in front of the door. Sourly, she made a face at both of them. "This is all your fault." She sneered.

Sasuke glanced at her before resuming staring at the door in front of him.

Naruto stopped in mid step to stare at his pink haired friend. "My fault?"

Emerald eyes narrowed. "Both of yours-I had nothing to do with this!"

The spiky blonde male blinked. "You take no responsibility?"

"No."

"Shizune told you to shut up and you still screamed. All you had to do was tell the investigator the truth and you just stood there looking guilty." Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

Sakura sat up on the couch, her hair a complete mess and shook her head. "You two still haven't told me what the hell all of this was about!"

Baby blue eyes rolled and he shook his head. "Now is not the time for this Sakura." He sighed, exasperated. "We're possibly going to be arrested."

Emerald eyes blazed in anger. "Then this is the perfect fucking time to tell me!"

"You're insane." Sasuke cut in, his voice calm and level. "You are; according to Shizune who has studied in this field, suffering from several mental problems." He met her shocked, confused and affronted eyes. "You have problems Sakura-aside from just memory ones. We aren't judging you. We did this to help you."

"You goddamn liar!" She jumped up in a flare, tangled pink hair fanning around her, face red with anger and clothing twisted in disarray. "I am not crazy!" She screamed and stomped her feet, gearing up to throw a temper tantrum. "I am completely NORMAL!"

Onyx eyes glanced at baby blue before he sidled off to the side and resumed staring at the door.

Sakura opened her mouth to scream but a loud pounding at the door cut her off. "SHUT UP IN THERE!" One of the guards yelled. "OR YOU WILL BE TAKEN IN!"

Baby blue eyes opened widen in terror and he made shushing noises at the fuming pinkett glairing daggers at his head and tapping one foot incessantly. "Keep quiet! I don't wanna go to jail!" He whispered pleadingly.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shikamaru sighed and ran a hand down his face before heaving a heavy sigh and turned around to take a sweeping glance of the empty lobby. Out of the corner of his eye, a dark shadow peering around the corner of the wall caught his attention. Automatically his body moved into a defensive position and he slowly reached over the counter to grab one off the tasors and he held it out in front of him, aimed at the shadow. "I see you." He spoke clearly and calmly. "Reveal yourself." Slowly, he took a few steps towards the wall. "Don't make me ask again."

"I'm coming out." The man finally spoke and walked out of the shadows, hands up in surrender.

The pineapple haired guard nodded and took in the man, he wore a black suit and a dark blue button down shirt and black dress shoes; his silver hair was tied back and he wore glasses on his slightly tanned face. "State your name and business."

"Kabuto Yakushi. Representative of Hiroshima."

Shikamaru nodded and relaxed his stance.

"Oh, hello. Sorry for the-yeah…"

Kabuto chuckled and walked forward, hand held out to shake. "No, it's alright that's exactly what you should have done." Shikamaru clasped his outstretched hand and shook it. "So who might you be?"

"Shikamaru. A guard here." The pineapple haired guard answered automatically.

Kabuto nodded and glanced at his casual wear. "Is that allowed? The casual wear?" He gestured to his clothing.

Shikamaru glanced down and sighed. "No, I actually wasn't supposed to come in today."

"Oh?" A silver eyebrow rose in interest.

A dark eyebrow rose in mild suspicion at the nosey representative. "Yeah…I got called in while I was on my way out. I just got here." He walked back to the counter top and placed the tasor where Kabuto would see it. "So if you really are from their hospital, what are you doing here?"

The silver haired male smiled and took out his I.D card and held it out for Shikamaru to see. "I really do work for Hiroshima's Hospital for the Mentally Ill." With measured steps he walked up to stand beside Shikamaru. "You seem like a nice guy, would you mind giving me a tour of the hospital?"

Dark eyes narrowed in suspicion at the man in front of him, Shikamaru looked him over once more before sighing, running a hand though his hair and shaking his head. "I'm sorry Kabuto." He spoke his name slowly. "But I need to change into my spare uniform and start my shift."

Kabuto nodded slowly then took a step back. "I can wait." He looked around the lobby as though seeing it for the first time. "I'm in no hurry."

Shikamaru shrugged and walked around to go into the nurses' station; there he grabbed his spare uniform and quickly changed into it, mentally patting himself on the back for at least slipping on his boots this morning. After a few minutes he walked to the front of the station to see Kabuto still waiting, his back turned towards him. "I see this place was recently updated." Kabuto spoke, startling the guard as he began to sift though the papers to find the sign in log.

"Yes, it was." He picked up the clipboard and re-read the list of names. "It says here there is also an investigator as well as two policeman?"

Kabuto turned to face him and nodded a calm smile on his face. "Yes. That is correct. Though I seem to have lost them…or rather they've lost me." He shrugged.

"Right…" Shikamaru reached under the double counter to grab a spare gun and tucked it into his holster at his hip. "Can you tell me what all of this is about? Why is there an investigator here?"

The silver haired man regarded him thoughtfully for a moment before he began to sidle away to the hallway. "Holding an investigation of course. Well you seem to be busy-like you said you have a job to do. I'm sure eventually I'll find them. Don't worry. Get back to work-you're doing an excellent job." With that said, he slipped away down the darken hallway, his footsteps echoing as he went.

Shikamaru watched the hallway for a few seconds before reaching down and picking up a walkie talkie. "Chouji?" He spoke into it, his eyes still trained on the spot he last saw Kabuto. "Chouji pick up!"

After a few seconds, he got an answer. _"Hello? Shikamaru is that you?"_

"Yes it is-I'm warning you that there is an investigation going on and as soon as they catch wind of the solitary confinement wing they will be coming down to check on it."

"_W-what? Holy crap! This I-"_

Dark eyes rolled. "Yes yes big new, the shits hitting the fan." He drawled. "I just met Kabuto Yakushi a representative of Hiroshima's Hospital for the Mentally Ill. Be very careful Chouji. Do you hear me?"

"_Of course I will!" _

"I mean it-be careful."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kabuto rolled his neck as he walked down a series of empty hallways until he turned the corner and saw at the opposite end, the figure of a woman leaning against the wall dressed in a guard's uniform. He paused for a moment to take in his surroundings but found no sign alerting him to what sector he was in. Eventually he began to walk down the long hallway. After a few footsteps, the woman turned to face him.

"Who are you?" The woman with short purple hair pulled into a pony tail wearing a guard's uniform quickly approached him, one hand on her hip dancing over the tasor, the other held out fingers spread in front of her in a defensive position. "Identify yourself." Her voice was strong and demanding.

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi." He held his arms up in surrender. "I am the representative of Hiroshima's Hospital for the Mentally Ill. I have right to be here." He slowly reached into the breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a temporary identification card.

She glanced at the card and relaxed her stance. "Oh."

"And who might you be?" He asked casually as he put away his card.

"Anko. I'm a guard here." She rolled her shoulders with her eyes narrowed at him.

Kabuto nodded and looked around with mild interest before staring down the long hallway behind her. "Can you tell me what's down there?" He jutted his chin down the hall.

She glanced over her shoulder. "Patients who suffer from suicidal thoughts."

He nodded and stepped aside to look out the span of windows to see the ground covered in white. "Are all of the rooms occupied?"

"No."

"How many?"

"Three."

His eyebrows rose at the low number. "How many patients can this hospital hold?" His voice turned silky sweet and comforting.

"At maximum three hundred."

"How many are here now?"

She took a minute to answer. "I think nineteen."

Kabuto suppressed an expression and instead cleared his throat. "Interesting…very interesting…"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kiba walked with Hinata down the long, quiet halls to the cafeteria; every few seconds he would glance at her to make sure she was still in an upright position. Eventually they reached the double doors and he held one open for her.

"I WILL NOT BE ARRESTED!" A loud, demanding voice greeted them as soon as they entered.

There, off to the side in front of the coffee machines stood Tsunade in handcuffs with a large man with a scowl on his face behind her. "Holy…shit…" Kiba whispered, his eyes glued to his boss who was barring her teeth like an animal.

"Milady!" Hinata squeaked before she fainted.

Quickly, acting on automatic, Kiba held out his arms so that he caught the young woman before she hit the flooring. "Come on Hinata!" He hissed. "This is something you don't want to miss!" Just then he caught a flurry of moment out of the corner of his eye; Shizune was waving furiously at him to slap Hinata and wake her up. After a few seconds, he sighed, adjusted the tiny woman in his arms and shook his head. "I better not get charged for this." With that said, he slapped her lightly on the cheek. "Wake up!"

Just then Tsunade launched into another round of curses while Baki hauled her towards them. It was at that moment Hinata chose to come back to her senses. She was uneasy at first and not at all aware of her surroundings. "You're not going to faint again are you?" Kiba muttered and released her from his grip.

A light tinge appeared on her pale, sweaty face and she clutched at the clothing surrounding her stomach. "Oh my, I didn't really d-"

"Hinata!" Tsunade's golden eyes locked on the terrified, stressed young woman clutching at her stomach. "You did this to me! You turned me in you jealous bitch!" She sneered and struggled against Baki holding her back.

Hinata paled at the older woman's words and shook her head, her long lavender hair tangling as she did. "No! No I swear Milady! I never-" Kiba placed a warm, comforting hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. "Don't bother Hinata." His eyes locked on his boss. "We know you would never do such a thing-she's just placing blame." He then squeezed her shoulder. "Let's get you that cup of tea now okay?" With that said he gently shoved her off in the direction of the tea. "Do you need any help Sir?" He turned his attention to Baki.

The man in question scowled and jerked his head at the closed doors. "Open them."

"Yes." Kiba dashed forward and held open a door. "Should I call the police?" He asked once Baki struggled out with Tsunade.

"They are already here." With that said he grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and clicked a button.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sasuke shifted his weight against the counter and sighed. "I better not go to jail." He muttered. Opposite him Naruto nodded. "Yeah…there's no way in hell I'd be allowed to go back to work…and I need my job."

"I have things to do!" Sakura's whiney voice was lost on their ears.

"I was going to go looking for Itachi." Sasuke muttered to himself, when an idea entered his brain. "Sakura." He looked over at the pinkett lying upside down on the couch with her boots balancing on the wall. "Since we seem to be trapped here-why don't you tell me about my brother?"

Emerald eyes widened in panic. "W-what?" She stammered and looked at him from her upside down position.

"Itachi Uchiha. Sound familiar?" Onyx eyes locked on her own.

"W-y-I-uhg-"

"Don't lie to me Sakura." Sasuke sighed and pushed off of the counter. "I know everything. What I would like is for you as my friend to tell me the truth…I want to hear it from you."

"Go ahead Sakura." Naruto joined in and looked at her from his position leaning against the wall. "Tell him. Everything."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

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	34. Chapter 34

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 34

Chouji heaved a heavy sigh and ran a trembling hand though his messy hair. Stressed, he took a few moments to collect himself and tossed the walkie talkie onto the table in front of him before proceeding down the hallway on shaky legs to stand in front of the soul patent being housed in the solitary confinement wing. He stood in front of the glass, staring down at his shoes.

Inside, Gaara shifted on his messy, white bed to sit up and stare bemused at Chouji who spoke not one word. Usually the guard would pull up some courage to tell him something but today he looked confused, sick, and nervous all at once.

Maliciously, Gaara smiled a cunning smile and cleared his throat. "Chouji?" He called softly, as though he were cooing to a child. "Chouji are you alright?"

The guard in question looked up in terror but managed to nod. "G-Gaara…"

The patent slowly stood up, causing him to stumble back a step. "Listen…listen Gaara an investigation is being done." Even as he spoke the words, he looked perplexed, as though he couldn't comprehend the fact that it was actually happening.

"Investigation?" Gaara shifted his weight, a catlike smile playing on his lips.

"Yes yes…investigation…" With that last word, Chouji wandered back to his post lost in his own thoughts.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

A group of police men barged through the front doors, a few stopping to approach a slightly nervous Shikamaru leaning against the counter thinking while the others stormed the hospital. "State your name." One of the men asked.

"Shikamaru Nara. I am a guard here." He held his hands up, away from his body and stepped away from the counter, not wanting to be accused of anything suspicious.

One of the guards relaxed his stance a little then looked over his shoulder. "Are all of the exits apart from this one sealed?"

"Yes; all doors can only be opened with an I.D card."

"Good. Stay here." He motioned to a group of men and had them spread out around to guard each hallway. "We all know what we have to do; locate all personal. But do not remove patients from their rooms. Keep communication lines open. Go!"

Shikamaru watched as the commotion heightened, then died. "…Shouldn't there be…more you of?" He asked slowly, not wanting to be on the wrong end of the stick. He averaged about fifteen policemen in total, severely less than normal for this sort of situation.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shizune briskly walked over to Hinata and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she sipped her tea. "Are you okay Hinata?" She asked softly, not wanting to startle her into another fit.

"I'm fine thanks." Pale eyes glanced up at her then back down at the steaming cup of tea warming her fingers.

"Then let's go." Shizune murmured and walked towards the doors just as Kiba was walking back in.

"Whoa! Oh shit sorry!" He steadied the older woman before she fell over. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Shizune smoothed out her skirt and sighed. "Gave me a fright through…so much drama going on today." She muttered under her breath then looked past his confused face towards the doors. "Come on you two let's get to the lobby."

"Lobby?" Kiba glanced over his shoulder to make sure Hinata was coming then looked back at Shizune. "Why?"

"Because this hospital is going to be shut down and it's best to be corporative in situations like this." She answered smartly and lead them down the long hallways in the direction to the lobby.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sasuke took a seat on one of the two chairs opposite Sakura while Naruto opted to sit on the opposite end on the couch. After a few seconds, Sakura relented and sat up. "Yes yes I've known Itachi for years." She waved off their un -amused looks artlessly and began to comb her fingers though the ends of her hair. "He and I were the best of friends. We hung out and stuff. I knew he was your older brother but he kindly asked me not to say anything-I was in no position to oppose." She shrugged and sighed. "There. That is it."

Baby blue eyes rolled. "Sakura, what he wants to know is his personality. What was Itachi like?"

"He was cold, distant." Emerald eyes darted to him. "Much like you actually…except he was smarter." She added in.

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked away, not wanting to witness any more ugliness.

"Yes but what was he like? Did he drink? Smoke? Did he have a job? Life goal? What about his favorite color?"

Sakura looked at him for a few seconds before shrugging. "His main goal was to please Leader."

Just then the door was unlocked and one of the two policemen entered the same ones from before. "Get out and follow Haku to the lobby." Was all the tall, muscular guard said as he held the door open. Wordlessly Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke stood up. Naruto led the way out the door with Sakura in tow; he walked up to the shorter guard who stood waiting for him.

"Zabuza and Haku right?" Sasuke looked at each of them and paused in the middle of the doorway. "We're innocent. Let us go? We were in the middle of a very intriguing conversation. " He looked up at Zabuza.

"That's not our orders." Zabuza pointed down the hallway in the direction of the lobby. "Go."

"What are your orders then?" Sasuke asked slightly annoyed, but followed after Naruto and Sakura.

"Escort you three to the lobby. There Baki will decide what to do with you." Zabuza answered gruffly and shoved him to walk faster, successfully silencing the onyx eyed male.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Baki pulled Tsunade's struggling form down the many hallways until he heard the comforting sounds of many feet storming the empty halls. "Over here!" He called out and pointed at Tsunade who glared at him as though he ate her dog. "Take her in. She is Tsunade; head of this hospital."

One of the men stepped forward and took over restraining the woman. "What are your plans Sir?" He asked, pushing her in front of him, back towards the lobby.

"This hospital is to be shut down. Effective immediately." He ordered, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck to work out a kink.

The men bowed and dispersed.

"Someone find Kabuto and inform him of my decision. The patients need to be moved as soon as possible. If he acts now," He glanced down at his watch. "We can be done by nightfall."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shizune walked into the last hallway that led to the lobby to see Baki standing there, scribbling something down on a notepad. "Baki? Sir?" She called out, not wanting to disturb him.

"Yes?" He asked offhandedly and continued writing.

"Is there anything I could do? We could do?" She corrected as soon as Kiba stepped up beside her.

At that, Baki looked over his shoulder to see Shizune, Kiba and Hinata standing there; the later sipping tea. "I suppose you three can round up the patients and have them waiting for transfer…" He looked over each one of them until his eyes landed on Hinata. She looked exasperated and in no shape to be running up and down the hallways. In a moment of pity, he beckoned her forward with one finger. "You there," He spoke, his voice a smidge less rough. "See to the transfer documents okay? Gather everything into boxes-neatly-Kabuto will need everything."

Realizing what he was doing, Hinata bowed deeply, a flush appearing on her pale face. "Yes Sir. I'll get started right away." She then scuttled off in the direction of the back room where they kept the information locked away.

He then looked down at Shizune to see her calm, knowledgeable eyes staring back at him. "Shizune you know this hospital better than anyone right?"

"Of course." She nodded.

"Good. You can help me." He looked over at Kiba. "Get a move on. Didn't you hear me? Go gather the patents and inform your fellow guards of what's going on." At that, Kiba backed away sheepishly and took off down the hallway. "Use handcuffs!" He called after him.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Here they are." Haku announced, walking up to one of the policeman with the three trailing behind. Zabuza directed the three to stand at a wall then went over to converse another man.

"What's going to happen to us?" Sakura mumbled, shrinking into the wall behind her.

"If you weren't such a bad liar we would be on our way home by now." Sasuke growled, glaring daggers at various persons heads. "But since you failed us, threw a fucking fit, and got us in here who the hell knows? We might be thrown into jail. Or we might get to leave."

Beside him Naruto elbowed him in the ribs. "Sasuke what the hell man?"

"What?" He glared at his friends head. "I'm not going to fucking sugar coat anything anymore! It's her fault we're always in shit! Ever notice that?" He dropped his voice to a hushed whisper. "Every goddamn time we're in trouble it's because of her. Throw your memory back." With that said, he jerked his head away as though he was highly offended and resumed glaring at the police.

Naruto frowned and thought about what Sasuke said; about every tough situation they've been in and it began to dawn on him that Sakura was involved in most of them.

"Naruto? Sakura?" A deep voice called him from his thoughts. He looked up to see Shikamaru standing a ways off with his hands shoved into his pockets. "What are you doing here?" He looked between the two, completely ignoring Sasuke.

Baby blue eyes warmed at the familiar man in sight and he nearly hugged the man, but restrained himself. "Shikamaru-man am I glad to see you." He grinned. "Listen can you help us out?"

The pineapple haired man frowned. "I'm afraid not. This is serious…you didn't do anything did you?" His eyes darted over to the pink haired woman and back again. "Because if you did…my advice would be to just let things happen and not intervene."

"Shikamaru!" A policeman called out to him. "You're a guard here aren't you? Why aren't you out there helping?"

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder with a scowl on his face. "Because someone told me to stay here-but I will go and assist now." He turned back to look Naruto in the eye. "I think I know why you were here in the first place. I would think long and hard about what you learned and what is going on around you before I make any rash, familiar decisions if I were you." And then he turned on his heel and left.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kabuto stood across the hall in front of Anko while she stared back at him, her gaze unwavering. Suddenly, they heard the echo of heavy footsteps falling closer and closer to them. Within seconds a policeman appeared around the corner and jogged up to them. "Kabuto. Baki has made a decision to shut down this hospital." He spoke slightly out of breath. "He has asked you to go to him."

The young man nodded and adjusted his glasses coolly, lingering to see what the policeman will do. He turned his attention to Anko who was listening with half an ear. "You are a guard here? All personal must report to the lobby. This hospital is being shut down."

Dark eyes widened at the statement. "Shut down? But the patients-I can't just-"

"Are going to be transferred soon enough." The policeman cut in, motioning for her to leave. "They are locked in their rooms are they not?"

"Yes but-what you're saying doesn't make any sense!"

At that moment, Kiba came running down the hall from the opposite end, the keys in his hand jingling loudly and obnoxiously. "Anko! Where are you going?" He yelled, his voice echoing.

She took a few steps to him. "Kiba what's going on?"

"The hospital is being shut down-we need to gather all of the patents and-hey do you have spare handcuffs?" He asked absently, patting himself down to find a pair.

As Anko was about to answer, the policeman intervened. "Ma'a-"

"I presume that Baki only said to gather the personal to inform them of the hospital being shut down and that they were to assist in gathering and transferring the patents." Kabuto adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I think we can trust her to just go along with him can't we? Besides-it looks as though Baki is doing exactly as I said." He chuckled lowly. "Giving the orders as soon as any personal appears."

The policeman took a few seconds to think this over before relenting and walking away with Kabuto at his side.

Anko took a few moments to calm herself before looking over at Kiba who was still trying to locate a pair of handcuffs. "Is that true? Are we really being shut down?"

Dark eyes looked over to her and he dropped his hands with a sigh. "Yeah…we are."

"…That means I'm out of a job."

"Me too."

She groaned and rubbed the palms of her hands into her eyes. "Shit! Where the hell am I going to work now?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shizune peered around Baki's overwhelming form to see Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura standing awkwardly against the wall. "No! Please let them go." She accepted the coat Hinata handed her and slipped it on. "Please I know they lied but they don't even work here!"

Baki stared down at her, just as Kabuto made himself known. "What's the hold up? Why aren't they putting the patients into the…" He trailed off when his eyes landed on Shizune.

Said woman looked over at him, her dark eyes pleading. "Let them go…"

"Then tell me why they lied?"

She shrugged hopelessly.

"Might I suggest that we leave the three of them for later?" Kabuto stepped up, one eyebrow raised. "Time is of the essence and we need to have all the patients on the road to Hiroshima as soon as possible. Not to mention I need to fill out all of the paperwork and we need to discharge all guards form their positions." He glanced over at Shizune to see hope in her eyes. "Do we really have time to waste on them?"

"Are you suggesting we just let them walk away? They-"

"Lied I gathered as much. No I am not. I'm saying that we not treat them like they are under arrest. Let's change our focus to the patents then see to them."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

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	35. Chapter 35

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 35

Shizune strode over to Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke with a nervous smile plastered onto her face. "Good news you three are more or less off the hook." She spoke in a low tone, trying not to attract any attention.

Sasuke raised a curious brow at her. "More or less?"

She nodded and tucked a strand of black hair behind one ear. "Yes. Thanks to Kabuto who put in a good word for you all."

Blonde eyebrows rose in suspicion. "Kabuto? Why would he when he doesn't know us?"

The older woman sighed and looked over her shoulder to see Kabuto talking to a group of policemen. "Because his job is to get all of the patents out of here by tonight and he can't be bothered with a bunch of misfits?" She shrugged and turned back to look at them. "Not to mention he has yet to contact the bus company that will be transporting the patients."

"You mean bus driver." Sasuke stated.

"What?"

"Driver. Don't these hospitals have their own bus? Specially equipped?"

"Of course. Why? What did I say?" She asked distractedly, her mind elsewhere.

Onyx eyes rolled and he looked away from her. "Never mind."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Anko and Genma made their way down to the solitary confinement wing in silence, each adjusting the handcuffs hung on their belt and the syringes tucked away in their cases. "I'm not looking forward to this." Genma muttered as Anko opened the last door dividing them, and the wing.

As soon as the door opened, Chouji appeared looking at them with a pale face. "You alright?" Genma asked as he stepped inside.

"What's going on?" Chouji asked, fanning himself with his chubby hand.

"We're being shut down." Anko answered and began to walk down the hallway in the direction of Gaara. "All patents are to be handcuffed and escorted up to the lobby."

"All patents?" Chouji nearly fainted at her words. "B-b-b-b"

Beside him Genma placed a warm, steady hand on his shoulder. "Yes yes I know. But please try not to faint. We might need you." With that said he followed after Anko. "Stay there and be ready in case he makes a break for it."

Anko walked up to the glass dividing her and Gaara, she toyed with the idea of trying to be pleasant but decided against it and instead cleared her throat to gain his attention. Once he was looking at her and not at the book he was reading she nodded at him. "Gaara, the hospital is being shut down and we have orders to handcuff you and escort you up to the main lobby." She stated honestly. "Will you cooperate with us?"

The red head thought for a moment, then back up against the glass where he knew there to be a small opening to give him his food and placed both hands behind him so that she could reach through and handcuff him. "Yo-you're cooperating?" She asked, weary of his actions.

"Do I look like I'm not?" He scowled at her. "Hurry up woman. I'm not going to stay like this all day."

"Yes but-"

"Why should we trust you?" Genma butted in, stalking up to the glass and handcuffing him without warning. "Might I remind you Gaara," He spat the name as though it were venom burning his mouth. "You have attacked, mocked, hurt, and all in all fucked with every person who has had the displeasure of dealing with you."

Gaara chucked and stepped away from the glass to test the handcuffs. "Can't you believe that I've turned over a new leaf?" He asked lightly, but his tone and the look on his face was anything but lighthearted; his lips were peeled back to show all of his teeth, his eyes were dancing in anticipation and his arm muscles kept flexing, testing the strength of the handcuffs.

Genma ignored the jib and nodded at Anko to open the hidden door into the room. She obliged and went off to the side to type in a code and swipe her car; after a few minutes, she nodded to him and stepped back, allowing him to go inside. "Stay out here and be ready for anything." He grunted at her while she handed him her handcuffs. Slowly, he opened the concealed door and entered the blindingly white room. Cautiously he approached the grinning red head who didn't move one muscle.

"Going to handcuff me again?" He taunted and turned around to offer his hands yet again to Genma.

The guard gritted his teeth but placed another pair of handcuffs on the red head.

"If you're so worried about me escaping why don't you use the ones for my ankles?" He hummed and followed Genma's movements as he placed one hand on the back of Gaara's neck and the other gripped the two handcuffs.

"Get to walking." Genma spat and directed him towards the open door.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Baby blue eyes watched apprehensively as Sakura chewed on her thumb, glared at him, purposely stepped on several police officers shoes, and kept a wide berth of any patent that crossed her path. After a few minutes of watching this, he searched out Shizune with his eyes to see her checking off some things on a clipboard.

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh then beckoned Shizune to come closer to him once he caught her attention. "Shizune…please…please admit her or whatever." He hung his head and scuffed his shoes, absolutely dreading the words that spilled out of his mouth.

"What?"

"Put her in whatever mental-you know what you're the smart one in this…do whatever you think is right." He avoided her searching eyes. "I know what I'm doing seems heatless and wrong but…but we can't go on like this." His voice broke towards the end and he took a few moments to compose himself. "There's too many lies…too many lives are disrupted because of…of…"

"Because of her." She finished off for him and placed a warm, solid hand on his shoulder. "Kabuto is not only a representative of the hospital that will be taking over the patients; he's also one of the doctors there. I will see what I can get him to do."

Naruto nodded but kept his eyes locked on the snow beneath their feet. "Thank you Shizune…thank you." He then wandered off to a corner behind Sasuke; knowing that no one would disturb him behind the cold, distant man.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"To be fair there was a patient named Sasori here." Shizune stated absently as she crossed off several parts of the miniature map on the clipboard and slyly glanced up at the man beside her.

Baki raised an eyebrow down at her. "Was?"

"He's now dead." She stated with a soft sigh. "Has been for awhile now actually."

Baki remained silent for a moment before once again speaking. "How did he die?"

"…Sakura killed him."

That shocked him; his eyebrows shot up into his hairline and his breath caught. "Killed? Then what is-"

"I was going to speak to Kabuto about taking her in along with the other patents and the proper paperwork could be filed at a later date…" She glanced up at him. "What do you think?"

He ran a hand down his face and nodded stupidly. "Yeah. I agree."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Eventually all of the patents were handcuffed and mulling around outside in the snow waiting to be filed into the bus; the lobby being used to stack all of the necessary boxes of paper work and the rest of the hospital was already shut down and closed off. All that was left to do was to systematically check all of the patients and get them onto the hospital, decided who accompanies them, and how many guards to take and will get paid for their extra service.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto sighed and nudged Sasuke who was leaning against the wall beside him, away from all of the people running back and forth. "Hey…I uh…I told Shizune to have Sakura…taken in."

"I agree."

"What?"

Sasuke glanced at his friend then out at the sea of officials that somehow manage to fit into the lobby. "I agree with that decision…though I can't say the same for Sempai."

"Yeah…that's going to be a difficult conversation."

"Good luck with that."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Do you really think its safe having them mulling about like that?" Shikamaru drawled, sipping at his hot coffee trying to warm up his insides, his eyes trained on all of the patents standing around outside.

The man looked about and shrugged. "Probably not. But budget cuts; you know how that is." His eyes locked on Sakura a ways off making her way through the crowd. "That must be Sakura right? The pink haired one?"

Shikamaru followed his gaze to the pinkett and nodded. "That's her." He continued to watch her as she looked around at the patients with a haze over her eyes, he then directed his attention to Naruto who was talking solemnly with his friend and then he finally looked at Shizune who was talking to Kabuto and pointing at Sakura. "…Interesting…" He mumbled.

"What is?" The man beside him asked.

"Oh? Nothing…nothing."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Emerald eyes locked on the red headed patient looking around in mild interest. "Gaara?" She whispered disbelievingly, her brain switching into hyper mode. Suddenly her brain flooded her with images of the red head, relying scene after scene of their short but meaningful time spent together. Suddenly she took off at a run and shoved her way through the crowd leaving several patients injured in her wake. "Gaara!" Was all the warning she gave before she threw herself into his cold body. Caught off guard, the red head stumbled back into the pile of snow but directed his attention to the pink bundle currently trying to squeeze the life out of him. "Sakura?" He whispered into her furry hat. "Is it really you?"

Sniffling, the pinkett pulled back a bit to look into his pale, shocked face and smiled. "Yeah…yeah it's me!" She gently caressed his face with the tips of her frozen fingers. "I remember you…" She whispered, her sparking green eyes welling with tears. "I remember everything about you…" She mumbled in wonder.

Just then someone yanked her up off of Gaara and set her down a good few feet away. "Are you alright M-Sakura?" Genma asked, mildly shocked at the woman he held in his arms.

Emerald eyes glared up at him in anger, then marvel, then right back to anger again. "Genma!" She sneered, and pushed her way past him to see Gaara being helped up by Anko. He was wearing a crumpled, ill fitted, snow covered black trench coat and boots and his hands were handcuffed behind his back. His pale face was red from the cold snow but as soon as his teal eyes landed on her, he broke out into a genuine smile. His stance relaxed from defensive and his eyes warmed at the sight of her.

"I thought-I was told you were dead." He stated, taking her in; her face was flushed, her emerald eyes sparkled, and snow was falling all around her, making her glow. Her long winter coat was now dusted in white specks and she clutched her heart, as though thinking it would pop out ant any second.

"Who said that?" She rushed back over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, longing for him to hold her waist and pull her flush against his body. "I'm alive…I've always been alive…" She murmured, her lips moving against his cold neck. Contented, she sighed and shut her now tired, green eyes.

Baffled by what was going on, Kabuto walked up to Sakura, clipboard in hand and coughed, gaining her attention. "Are you Sakura Haruno?" He asked politely, ignoring what he previously witnessed.

The pink haired woman nodded but made no move to detangle herself. Behind his back, Kabuto motioned for Genma and Anko to step forward and be prepared to restrain the two of them. "You are to come with me." He stated and scribbled something down on his board then gestured for her to walk in front of him.

Sakura took a moment to look around, seeing that most of the patents had boarded the bus and the remaining were being separated with guards or policeman.

"What's going on?" She asked suspiciously when Anko moved to grab her shoulder.

"My apologies Sakura. I'm only doing my job." She tried to gently pry the woman off of Gaara who was now glaring at her.

The pinkett shook her off and finally removed her limbs from Gaara. "What the hell is going on? Where do you want me to go?"

Absently, Kabuto pointed to the bus then resumed scribing something down on his clipboard.

"That bus is filled with patents."

Kabuto nodded. "Yes. Excellent observation." He stated then nodded at her to start walking. "Let's go Sakura."

"What? Why?" Her voice rose into near panic.

Kabuto sighed then nodded at Genma who picked her up, causing Gaara to attempt to tackle him only to be restrained by Anko and a policeman who saw what was happening. They had to push him down onto the ground to lie on his stomach to prevent him from causing any harm.

"Violent." Kabuto mumbled to himself. "Very violent." He scribbled something down on the clipboard then nodded at Genma to put Sakura on the bus.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

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Continue?

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	36. Chapter 36

L.

Light after Dark

Chapter 36

Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned on the hood of his car, Sasuke stood opposite him staring up into the dark sky, watching as the white snowflakes danced to the ground, completely unaffected by any of the tragic events that took place. "I don't want to go back to Kakashi-Sempai." Naruto muttered, his breath coming in puffs in front of him.

Sasuke breathed deeply, watching as it puffed out in front of him before he answered. "Then don't. Leave it for the morning." He slowly directed his gaze down to his friend who looked absolutely dejected. "He doesn't need to know right this minute. Go home, sleep, take a bath, have a drink."

Blue eyes rolled and he shook his head, scattering the pile of snow that had gathered atop his head. "I'm not like you Sasuke; I can't just go to sleep or drink it away." He snorted. "Though I wish I could…how do I tell Sempai that I just sent Sakura away to-to a mental hospital? How do I look him in the face?"

"Then write him a letter; that way you won't have to look at him."

Naruto looked up to make a snide comment, then stopped himself; rethinking the idea. "You know…I just might."

A calm, depressing silence came over them before Sasuke growled and stomped his feet. "How long are we going to stay here? Everyone's already left." He glared around at the darkness then looked over at his car fondly.

"Let's go; your right."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shikamaru walked through the front door, toed off his shoes and sank down into the nearest chair. After a few minutes of silence, he heard movement from the hall and cracked one eye open to see Ino fussing around with a bag of coffee. "Hi." She greeted absently then waltz into the kitchen.

He snorted a hello and closed his eyes again. After a few seconds, he heard the familiar sounds of coffee being made followed by Ino's light footsteps into the room. "Tough day?" She asked, sitting down on the couch opposite him.

"You can say that again." He mumbled, keeping his eyes closed.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Making coffee?"

"Yup."

"Good…I need it." He sighed and rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Ino…they closed down the hospital."

Silence.

"What?"

He groaned and sat up only to hand his hand and stare down at the flooring. "Today-Tsunade has been arrested. Shizune doesn't have the official paper work to take over running the hospital and Hiroshima had already taken the patents."

"Oh my," She stood up only to walk over and kneel down in front of him. "I'm so sorry to hear that." She placed a warm hand on one of his. "Really I am."

He nodded and looked into her crystal clear eyes. "I'm fine Ino…this is a good thing."

She raised one perfectly groomed blonde eyebrow at him.

"I wanted to leave working there, now I have no choice." He let out a wry chuckle and covered her one hand with two of his.

"Shikamaru what are you going to do now?" She asked sharply, not liking the sardonic look on his face.

"I," He tapped her knuckles with his eyebrows raised. "Am going to apply to work for the police."

Silence.

He looked up into her made up face to see her staring at him with a look of mock yet astonishment. "Police? You're going to be a policeman?"

Shikamaru sighed and shrugged. "Or detective. The point is I have options Ino-I have the work experience for it as well as the credibility."

She looked at him for a few seconds before smiling. "You really aren't worried?"

"No." He smiled down at her, slightly relieved. "I really am not." And then he leaned down and kissed her, his slightly chapped lips pressing against her soft, plump mouth; he lightly ran his tongue along her bottom lip before pulling back and smiling. "How about the cup of coffee?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto kicked off his shoes as soon as he entered his front door, ripped off his jacket and made his way into the kitchen. There he opened his liquor cabinet and grabbed a full bottle of Johnny Walker Black and a glass. He placed the glass on the counter, opened the bottle and poured himself a half glass of whiskey and downed it, cringing as it burned the back of his throat and settled into the pit of his stomach.

After a few seconds, he peered around him, taking in the dark shadows of the late night dancing all around him; he sighed and grabbed the bottle and glass then made his way into the living room where he settled behind a desk in a corner. He placed the glass beside him and filled it up, sure to screw back on the top of the bottle in case it tipped over.

He sipped at his drink as he sifted though the desk, looking for a black piece of paper. After he located both a paper and pen, he set to work writing a letter to Kakashi.

For the first few minutes, he just sat there staring down at the black paper drinking; then finally the words came to him:

_Kakashi-Sempai, _

_By now you're probably wondering what happened to Sakura and me. Well Sakura. To be honest, you won't be happy with the answer; but I'm going to be honest. Sasuke and I took her to Tsunade's hospital to be evaluated. Shizune did the evaluation. The results are that she is, in short, crazy. _

_While we were there, an investigation was being done on Tsunade. They found her unfit to be in charge of the hospital and had to close it down. A representative of Hiroshima was there ready to take all of the patents to their hospital. _

_It was done. _

_Sasuke and I thought it best we admit Sakura to a hospital; and since Shizune was going to go ahead to the new hospital for a while; she was able to pull some strings and get Sakura a spot. _

_We took it. _

_Sakura is now at Hiroshima's Hospital for the Mentally Ill. _

_She is under the care of a capable doctor. _

_I will not disclose any further information because one-you may try to go and take her out, two-I was not told much to begin with. _

_I hope you can forgive Sasuke and me. We did what we thought was best. _

_You may not see it this way at the moment, but in time, hopefully you will. _

_Sincerely, _

_Naruto _

There were several stains on the paper and the ink was smudged, and it smelled strongly of whiskey; but it was a letter that explained everything nonetheless; and that was the point.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

The next morning, Sakura woke to the sound of someone opening her door. She sat up, confused and looked around, taking in the white walls, white bed sheets and finally, white clothing. She wore a standard white shirt and pants with her pink hair loose and tangled; her hands were bound in soft padding to prevent any movement.

"Ah, you're up." She looked up to see Kabuto standing there smiling down at her. "Good morning Sakura." He knelt down beside her bed. "How are you feeling?"

She glared at him and shifted away from him only to find that she couldn't move. Upon closer inspection she realized that she was strapped down to the bed from the hips down.

"Yes yes. You are restrained." He smiled up at her as though her were complementing her eyes. "How about I fill you in? I fear that you have no recollection of anything?"

Slowly, she nodded.

He hummed for a second, thinking over something's before nodding to himself.

"Actually, why don't you tell me what you remember?"

A tense silence built between them before Sakura relented. "My name is Sakura Haruno. You took me from my friends yesterday." She glared at him. "Where's Gaara?"

"Oh wonderful!" He clapped and beamed. "Your memory isn't too bad. I didn't think you would remember more than that-Genma did hit you pretty hard there." He chuckled to himself. "Yes yes you were taken along with the other patents. You are now in Hiroshima; we had to restrain you because you were thrashing about wildly and almost hurt yourself." He stood up, still smiling. "And that's it. There hasn't been much going on since then. Now, why don't you relax? A nurse will be in soon enough with your breakfast." He moved to leave then turned back, still smiling. "And Gaara is fine. If you cooperate-the both of you-you two can be together soon enough. But first things first we must get you to a healthy spot." He waged a knowing finger at her then left.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto dropped the letter off at Kakashi's house on his way to work the following day; he didn't stay long, only long enough to slip the letter into the post box and jump back into his car. He was fighting a horrible headache and a slight case of nausea due to his happy hour last night but it was not going to keep him from the only distraction he had left; teaching the little children. He would grin and bear his pain until it subsided.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Pein had the American driver drop the group off directly on the runway in front of the chartered plane. After scoping out the area, he had everyone out of the limo and onto the plane, leaving the attendants to see to the luggage. "Thank you." He gruffly thanked the American driver and slipped him a hefty tip.

"Mr. Han Sato! Thank you so much!" He grinned happily and watched until Pein got onto the plane and the door shut behind him.

"Han?" Konan called over to him and motioned to the seat beside her. "Might I ask if you've set everything up?"

Pein sat beside her but looked around to see that everyone had already chosen their seats and were happily chatting with one another, glaring bloodily out the window, or muttering snide comments at one another. "Yes. Everything is set up overseas." He mumbled towards her, his head bent down to her ear. "As soon as we land everything will be fine and we can resume as normal."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Kakashi stared down at the alcohol laced letter in his hand, stunned. After a few seconds, he crumpled it up and threw it across the room. "DAMNIT!" He cursed; glaring at any and everything. Suddenly, a thought went off in his head. 'Maybe they were right?' But as quickly as that thought came, it went.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Later that day, around lunch time Sasuke showed up in Naruto's class bearing a sandwich and soda. "Here." He tossed the items onto Naruto's desk and looked around the empty class room. "Where are they?"

"At art." Naruto answered, opening the sandwich with one eyebrow raised. "Thanks?"

"No problem." Sasuke hopped up onto the counter and looked outside. "I take it you wrote the letter and have it to him?"

Blue eyes looked up at his friend and down at his sandwich. "Yeah…dropped it off this morning."

"Figured as much."

Awkward silence.

"I guess she was too traumatized by her father to ever really move on." Naruto whispered, slowly opening the soda and taking a sip.

"I suppose so." Sasuke agreed.

"We were stupid to think she could lead a normal life. We should have known the second she killed Sasori." The spiky blonde hung his head.

Sasuke simply shrugged. "She never was normal…they were right to lock her up….we were right." He corrected. "Maybe in time, with the right care she will get better." He resumed looking back out the window. "She never did heal. She never took the time to heal. It was always one thing after the other…maybe now she could finally learn who she really is and find happiness."

"Like we did?" Naruto looked up at his friend, a small smile resting on his face.

"Yeah…I have an investigator looking into the case." Sasuke smirked. "It's only a matter of time until I find Itachi."

"And then?"

"And then…we talk."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

That evening, Shikamaru decided it was time to propose to Ino. He carefully constructed a half lie about a late evening meal with exciting news; he persuaded her to dress semi-formally as opposed to formal and had her ready and out the door at six o'clock on the dot.

"Will you please tell me what restaurant we're going to?" She asked yet again as he escorted her to his car.

"For that last time Ino no. Now please stop asking questions." He sighed and pulled a blindfold out of his pocket. He then tied the black tie around Ino's head, careful not to get any of the hair caught in the knot. Carefully, he guided her to his waiting car and helped her into the passenger seat, his hand moving to the top of her head so she wouldn't hit the roof. Quickly, after she tucked her long, stocking clad legs into the car he reached over and buckled her seatbelt. "Is all this really necessary Shikamaru?" She sighed when he accidently brushed against her shoulder when he moved to shut the door.

"Yes Ino. It is." He mumbled to himself as he jogged around, careful not to slip on the ice and sat in the driver's side. "Okay it won't be long alright?" He stuck the key in the ignition and started the car and turned on the music to soothe Ino who was now tapping her forefinger on the seat.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Shikamaru pulled over at the side of the road, in front of the cemetery behind Kiba's car. "Wait here a minute Ino?" He pulled the keys out of the ignition and looked over at her, his hand resting on the door. "Please don't remove the blindfold." And then he stepped out of the car and quickly dashed up to Kiba's car and knocked on the driver's glass.

After a few seconds, Kiba opened the driver's door with a huge grin glued to his face. "Nervous?" He asked and handed Shikamaru a small white box.

"Of course." The pineapple haired male glanced back at his car to see Ino restlessly tapping her forefinger against her cheek but the blindfold was still covering her eyes. "I don't need this." He opened the white box to revel a black ring casing and stuck it in his pocket and handed the white box back to Kiba. "Go ahead of us? It'll take some time to get Ino there." He took a deep breath to soothe his nerves.

Kiba grinned and ducked inside his car to grab a Cannon camera then kicked his door shut. "Relax man. Its gunna go great!" With that said he darted off though the cemeteries front gates and up through the snow covered path.

Shikamaru took a few extra minutes to gather himself before he strode over to the passenger door and opened it. "Alright Ino, you ready?" He reached down to take her hand and help her out of the car; absently he noted she was wearing her black snow boots with the fur lining he bought her.

"I've been ready from the second you put this stupid blindfold on me." She grumbled as her hands shot out to grab his forearms for extra support.

"Just a few more minutes." He helped her up onto the sidewalk and reached back to shut the passenger door and locked the car. "Here, take me arm." He guided her arm to hold on to his right arm and proceeded up that path.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Soon, they came to where Kiba stood waiting. Before he could utter a word, Shikamaru silenced him with a look and lead Ino to stand in front of her parent's grave. Taking a deep breath, he reached behind her to undo the blindfold. "We're here." He murmured and tossed the blindfold to Kiba who caught it and stuck it in his pant pocket.

"Wher-" She blinked rapidly, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the sudden white glare of the snow.

"Ino." Shikamaru spoke, getting down on one knee as he took her left hand in both of his. "Would you do me the honor of being my wife?" He then slipped one hand in his pocket and pulled out a box and opened it. Tears welled in the blonde's eyes as she gazed at the large diamond ring glinting in the moonlight. It was seated in a black satin pill box with a light purple bow tied elegantly on the top.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"Oh this is so beautiful Shikamaru…." She whispered, wiping away the tears that gathered on the edge of her long, fake lashes. "How…wh…" Her voice caught in her throat as she gazed at the surreal scene surrounding her. They were in front of her parent's grave, surrounded with freshly fallen snow and the glow of the full moon. Shikamaru was down on one knee and Kiba was off to the side, smiling warmly with a camera in his hand.

"Can I take that as a yes?" Shikamaru asked, his hand wavering and his eyes staring apprehensively up at her. It was then she realized that she hadn't said yes.

"YES!" She threw herself down into his unsuspecting arms and buried her cold nose in his warm neck. "Yes yes yes yes!" She squealed happily.

Shikamaru blinked stupidly for a second before smiling and slowly stood up with Ino still clinging to him. He then swept his fiancé up in his arms and placed a tender kiss on her lips. "Great…" He whispered before kissing her again.

"This is so…magical…" She whispered when she pulled back to gaze at the man in front of her. He was wearing a black tux with a black tie and a white handkerchief tucked into the breast pocket. "How did you ever think of this? It's so…" She was at a loss for words as she looked around at the beautiful graveyard once again, trying to imprint this moment into her brain.

A warm chuckled rumbled in Shikamaru's chest as he pulled her closer. "You can thank Kiba." He whispered into her long blonde hair and kissed her temple.

Shocked blue eyes darted up to his face. "What?"

He nodded and pulled back a bit. "Yeah…I didn't know how exactly to do this and well…thank him. He thought you might like something like this…considering you wanted your parents present and all." At that moment he glanced over at Kiba who was happily snapping away photographs, trying to capture every moment on film.

Ino looked over at Kiba and tilted her head in happy wonder before smiling a warm, loving smile at him. "Thank you Kiba." She stated and beamed when he grinned at took a photo of her.

"No problem. So Shikamaru man when are you going to give the woman her ring?" Kiba wiggled his eyes suggestively at him.

Shikamaru grinned and held the box out for Ino to take. She stared down at the satin box then looked up at him. "Do I have to put it on myself?"

"Of course not." He took the large, diamond ring from its box then took her left ring finger in his hand and slowly slipped it on. "Beautiful." He whispered and leaned his forehead down against her own.

Kiba smiled a pleased smile over at his best friend and soon to be best friend's wife; he took one more photo with their heads bowed together, gazing into each other's eyes with their limbs wrapped around one another before he turned away and looked into the sky. He took in the twinkling of the stars and the white tuffs of snow falling down to the ground, as though blessing the happy couple. He snorted softly to himself and grinned. "Best of luck man." He muttered then quietly left the graveyard.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

L.

There will be an epilogue.

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Check out the link in my profile if you liked this story.

Continue?

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	37. Epilogue

And this is the end. I grew bored with this story ages ago; which some of you knew and I only bothered to finish it because some of you wanted to know how it ends.

I do hope at least some of you enjoyed this story for I can't please everyone and if one person enjoyed this story, it is all a writer can ask for. -L

Light after Dark

Epilogue

Several years later

Kiba groaned as a new pile of folders magically appeared on his desk. "Better get to work man." The guy laughed then walked off.

"Oh fuck you! What the hell do you do huh? Oh yeah that's right you sit here all day sipping coffee and playing with a yo-yo while I'm out there actually catching the bad guys!" He flipped off the guy and stood up, stretching his back.

"Calm down Kiba." Shikamaru threw a paper plane at his back. "You know his only talking big because he can't do field work yet. Just wait till the Captain decides to put him out there-his song will change."

Kiba snorted. "Or I can change the lyrics for him right now." He turned his chair around to face Shikamaru's desk then sat back down again. "Tell me we got work to do out there in the real world." He hung his head. "If I have to fill out one more report I think I just might die."

"Stop being dramatic." His friend muttered but stood up. "But yes, we have some investigative work to do."

"YES!" Kiba jumped up with a laugh. "Let's get some lunch first?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Tsunade glared daggers at the guard sitting across from her through the bars of the cell she sat in. Periodically, she would shift positions; crossing her legs, uncrossing her legs, folding her arms, tapping her fingers. Eventually she grew bored and cleared her throat. "How long do I have to sit here?"

The guard rolled his eyes at her and unfolded his legs. "Until the jury is finished deliberating."

"Why?" She took a moment to collect herself then smiled sweetly at him. "I mean it's not like they're going to convict me; I'm innocent."

"Right." He humored her. "Nevertheless it is protocol."

Her golden eyes twitched. "I'm innocent!"

"I heard you."

"I'M FUCKING INNOCENT!" Her voice echoed down the hallway, up the stairs and past the bathroom where one jury member was relieving themselves. "SASORI WAS THERE I TELL YOU! ROAMING THE HALLS!" She added in after a few growls.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Hidan threw his broken cell phone at the back of Deidara's head as they trudged down the gloomy back streets of London, England. The blonde man growled, but ignored him and continued on, pausing everyone once in awhile to pull out his cell phone and check a map.

"How much longer blondie?" Hinata asked, adjusting the backpack on his back.

"A few more blocks fatass." Deidara answered back and looked up into the sky to see dark clouds forming. "Hurry up before it rains; I just washed my hair."

"You and your fucking hair." He heard Hidan grumbled under his breath.

"I swear its times like this I miss Sasori." Deidara growled but continued on.

"Oh? You only miss him for missions do ya blondie? Boy I bet he'd be happy to hear that!" Hidan taunted loudly.

Deidara stopped and swirled around to glare daggers at the silver haired man's face. "Shut the fuck up idiot! Do you want all of London to know what the hell we're doing?" He looked around to make sure no one heard them then resumed walking. "And for your fucking information, Sasori was my friend. Though I'm sure you don't know what the hell that means." He derided.

Hidan fell silent for a few minutes, following the sulking blonde.

"Hey Blondie." He called after awhile.

"What?"

"I think of you as a friend."

Deidara didn't answer.

"I mean a very annoying, stupid, blonde friend…but still a friend."

Deidara strolled to a stop; his hands shoved into his pant pockets and turned around to look at Hidan with a funny look on his face. "I suppose…thanks." He chuckled. "You idiotic, non-artistic bastard." With that said, he turned around and began to lead the way again.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Ino positioned herself directly in front of the front door so that as soon as her beloved husband walked inside, he would see her and the tiny stick that would change their lives. After a few excruciating minutes of waiting, she heard his car pull into the driveway followed by the car door shutting.

"Oh this is it." She mumbled to herself then quickly tucked the stick into her pant pocket and smiled warmly at her husband as soon as he stepped through the front door. "Good evening."

He looked up at her and smiled a tired smile. "Hey."

"Where are the kids?" He asked as he unbuttoned his light coat and toed off his shoes.

"In bed already." She suppressed the urge to squeal in delight.

"That's good, what's for dinner?"

"Pasta-I'll get you some coffee okay? Go relax in the living room." With that said she darted off to the kitchen with an animated bounced in her step.

Shikamaru raised a curious eyebrow at her back but didn't bother asking any questions; he instead walked into the living room and sunk down into one of the arm chairs.

"So, did the boys do anything today?" He asked conversationally, straining to hear what Ino was doing in the kitchen.

"You mean actual work? No." She smiled as she walked back in and placed his cup of coffee down in front of him on the coffee table. "But they did figure out some genius way of increasing something or the other."

"Interesting." He muttered and looked up at her; she beamed down at him, hands on hips, face flushed and one corner of her lip was tucked into her mouth as she chewed on it. "Why are you looking at me that way?"

She burst out laughing and clapped her hands as she bounced up and down happily. "I'm pregnant Shikamaru!" She blurted out and looked down at him to see one eyebrow raised and a slightly bored look on his face.

"Congratulations?" He offered.

"Conga…" She quickly dug in her pocket to whip out the pregnancy test. "See? I'm not lying!" She shoved the stick down into his face.

Shikamaru turned his head away from the stick, slightly disgusted. "I believe you Ino, really I do."

"Shikamaru! Is that anyway to respond to such great news?" She slapped the back of his head and glared at her lazy husband. "I'm pregnant! You should be happy!" Her blue eyes blazed with anger. "Why are you like this every time I'm pregnant?" Just then a small smile broke out on his face and he pulled her down into his lap and kissed her on the lips. "Because then you won't have any excuse to hit me." He whispered before pulling her back down for another swift kiss. "And if we keep up at this rate we're going to have to buy another house."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Naruto frowned as he spread out his crate filled with the kids work onto the kitchen table top. Seated opposite him sat Sasuke, staring forlornly at the papers with a cup of coffee in his hand. "Naruto do you have to occupy the entire fucking table?"

Baby blue eyes narrowed as he took a seat and began to sift through the mess to locate his grading log. "Yes Sasuke; you know why? Because I have a job that requires work." He glanced up at the onyx eyed male. "Why don't you get one? It might make you less cranky." He offered, reaching into the crate and pulling out a bottle of Advil.

"Because I don't need one?"

"Just cause you're living off your inheritance doesn't mean you shouldn't get a job." Naruto muttered under his breath, popping open the bottle and swallowing one dry.

"What was that?"

"I said maybe you should get a goddamn job."

"Why the hell should I? I have enough money to feed everyone's fat ass here plus more." As soon as the words left his lips he regretted it; he felt the hair on the back on his neck stand up as a shadow fell over his frame. "Are you calling me fat?" A low, dangerous voice asked. His back went ramrod straight as a blur of silver shot over his shoulder. "Hm Sasuke?" Kakashi leaned over him and picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip.

Sasuke swallowed thickly before he began. "Semp-"

"Because I swear that is what my ears heard a few seconds ago. In fact, I believe you implied that my ass was fat to be exact." He continued on, ignoring whatever it was Sasuke was going to say. "Though-and don't quote me on this-you are the one who comes over to my house, eats all of my food, and on occasion brings fast food as compensation?"

"Oh give him a break Sempai." Naruto butted in distractedly.

A silver eyebrow rose in mild shock. "You're defending him?"

"Yeah." Naruto scribbled something's down on a sticky note before looking up with a mocking grin. "He's taking me to the Land of Eng with him. Of course I'm going to be on his side."

"What?"

"Oh yeah." Sasuke leaned away from Kakashi a bit. "He's going on vacation with me."

Kakashi snorted, leaned up and turned to leave the kitchen. "Okay." He muttered disbelievingly. "Whatever you two say."

"Hey Sempai?" Naruto called after him. "How's work?"

"Good enough-they're always someone doing something wrong."

"Such is the life of a policeman ey?"

Kakashi chuckled and looked over his shoulder. "So I'm getting hungry…I'm thinking pizza?"

"Sure." Naruto dug into his pant pocket and pulled out some money. "Here, my part." Baby blue eyes glanced up at Sasuke to see him twiddling his thumbs. "Hey."

"Charge me for it." He shrugged. "I don't have any cash on me."

"You lying."

"Spent it all on gas on my way here."

Kakashi shook his head, grabbed his coat and went out the front door.

"So…Itachi's in England?" Naruto asked, beginning to correct the stack of papers.

"Yup. You really are coming along?"

The blonde man chuckled and drew a quick smiley face on the page before putting it in a folder. "Of course; why the hell would I pass up a free trip to England?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Itachi sat at one of the boots near the back in a small, quant coffee shop on Main Street. He sipped his coffee, relishing its warmth as it settled into his stomach and warmed his chilled limbs. It began raining on his walk to the coffee shop, and old habits die hard he didn't walk with an umbrella. His clothing was relatively dry since he opted to wear a water resistant trench coat but his hair was soaked and dripping wet spots onto his black shirt.

He sat in the coffee shop for about fifteen minutes, watching customers walking in and out before someone caught his eye. Now walking in, chatting with a blonde haired man was his little brother. He would have known him anywhere; like him his hair was drenched and dripping water down the back of his neck and the collar of his shirt. He wore a black jacket but shrugged it off revealing a dark blue oxford sweater and black slacks. He stood near the door of a few seconds, dripping water before his eyes sought out Itachi's; wordlessly he walked over to him, the blonde man following silently.

"Itachi?" He asked lowly, walking up to the booth.

"Sasuke." Itachi nodded opposite him. Wordlessly, Sasuke sat down and the blonde man sat beside him.

"I see you made it." Itachi stated.

"Yeah. I did." Sasuke ran a hand though his wet locks before clearing his throat uncomfortably. "This is my friend Naruto."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgement, Naruto did the same.

"Thanks for meeting me." Sasuke swallowed thickly, taking in his older brother. He noted that they had the same pale complexion and body build but the similarities ended there. Itachi had lines under his eyes from stress while his own skin remained flawless; his older brother's eyes were dark and filled with the horrible knowledge of the world, his hands had scars running along them from who knows what.

"Of course." Itachi nodded and sipped his coffee. "But would you mind telling me why you insisted?"

Sasuke smirked and raised and nodded at the waitress making her way over to them. "Is it so wrong that I just want to get to know my older brother?"

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

"I pity you Hinata." A young woman with short, jet black hair and pale skin leaned over Hinata's shoulder to stare down at the paper work.

"What? Why?"

"Because your Ino's assistant of course." She backed up to look out the window and stare down at the hustling people below. "The last girl didn't fare too well you know…the fashion industries pretty cut throat and Ino isn't known for being nice…not to mention the fact that she has kids!"

Hinata sighed and abandoned the paper work to look over her shoulder at the gossiping young woman. "I've been working with Ino for years." She stated and removed the glasses she wore to read. "And not once over the years have I been mistreated." Her long lavender hair cascaded over her shoulders as she moved to stand up. "I don't know what gossip magazines you've been reading but I can assure you that their information is wrong. Now will you please get back to work? Today is your first day in this department, if I were you I wouldn't want to get in trouble."

_Light after Dark Light after Dark_

"Congratulations Shizune." Kabuto handed Shizune a gift bag. "You passed the test." He smiled mechanically and adjusted his glasses.

Dark eyes opened wide in shock as she numbly accepted his gift. "Yo-I? Really?" She asked, her voice going up a few notches.

Kabuto's smile faltered a bit at the thought of the woman screaming happily but he nodded nonetheless. "Yes Shizune. You've got your license to practice medicine." He reached out to clasp her on the shoulder. "I hope to see you bright and early Monday morning to start your new job Doctor." With that said, he quickly left the lobby, hoping to be out of earshot before the news sank into her brain.

_Light after Dark Light after Dark _

Sakura sighed, absolutely contented with the way her life turned out. There she sat on a small but quaint porch swing, snuggled into Gaara's solid chest. They now lived on the outskirts of Hiroshima's Hospital for the Mentally Ill; which owned much of the land and gave its 'rehabilitated' or 'healed' patients houses to live in. They lived in one close to the lake; it was a small, charming little house that had two bedrooms, but the only used the master, a kitchen, living room, one bath, and a porch that looked out onto the lake. Every day they attended some sort of therapy session; be it at the hospital itself or taking a long, soothing walk in nature.

"This is nice." Sakura murmured as Gaara pulled the Afghan off the back of the swing and draped it around her legs.

"Yeah…it doesn't look like it will rain at all." He spoke gently, a tone he reserved only for her.

"Mmm…I think it may rain tonight though…but the flowers will like it." She adjusted her head so that her hands were nestled between her cheek and his chest.

Gaara nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer to his body. "Probably." Was all he said, content to just share a quiet afternoon with the pink haired beauty he fell in love with.

Light after Dark ~ End 

L.

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